Black Rose
by wingless87
Summary: They were happy, but knew it wouldn't last long. She was trapped, with no hope of survival, unable to find the light to guide her. He had to choose between two lives - one that guaranteed happiness, and one that had power. His choice would be her fate.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of J.K. Rowling's characters.

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_Prologue_

"_H-harry! Uhh... what are you doing here so late at night?" Hermione asked. She was visibly trembling since she had been caught off-guard doing something that no one would expect from her._

_"I should be asking you the same question" Harry said coldly. "So, this is what you mean when you said you had other plans?"_

_"Well, umm... yes, but you don't understand!"_

_"Then tell me! Tell me what is bloody going on! I thought I was your best friend who you could tell anything to, but I guess I was wrong!" _

_"It's not like that, I swear!"_

_"Then what is it! Say it! Tell me why I came out here, and found you kissing him," Harry shouted, making sure he said the last word with disgust in his voice._

_"You won't understand" Hermione cried. She broke down in tears, which caused Draco to react._

_He stepped forward to Harry, making sure he could see his terribly dangerous eyes. "Don't you ever make her cry like that again, or you'll regret it."_

_Harry seemed unaffected by Draco's threat. "Me make her cry? How would I know you won't do that! After all, you are known to—"_

_He was about to say more when Draco forced his wand to his throat, hoping to stop him from finishing the sentence. "You say one more word and I will be forced to curse you so badly you wish you were never born."_

_"Boys, please stop this" a small voice behind them softly said. They both turned around to face Hermione, who seemed to regain her composure._

_"Hermione, are you alright lately? First, I find you talking to yourself, and now I see you kissing this... thing" Harry said, his voice filled with hatred. Once he heard the insult, Draco was about to mutter a curse when Hermione stopped him._

_"It's not like that! He has changed if you only give him a chance!"_

_"I won't! I never will!"_

_"How about for my sake, then?"_

_Harry paused. He would do anything for Hermione, but he didn't trust Draco a bit. He didn't know how he could give someone a chance if they had teased him and his friends cruelly for the past seven years. Draco would have to prove himself first before Harry would even consider acknowledging him._

_"Wait, I just want to know one thing. Potter, exactly what in bloody hell are you doing out here" Draco asked coldly. _

_Harry seemed surprised by the question, but didn't respond. Hermione, seeing that her friend probably doesn't want to answer to his enemy, she asked the question again._

_"Well, Harry? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be playing wizard's chess with Ron?"_

_He glanced at her with a hollow look in his eyes. "That's what I was doing but I remembered to give some assignments to Seamus. I went to the dorm to find him, but all I saw was a black rose on his bed. I thought that looked kind of odd, so I searched everywhere in the castle for him but I couldn't find him anywhere. That's when I looked through a window and saw two people standing out here. I came all the way down here, hoping that it's Seamus, but instead..." Harry didn't need to continue for the other two to know what he was going to say._

_"Let's go find him."_

_"Hermione, I think there are more important issues to be discussed here!" Harry yelled._

_"Harry, we can talk about this later! It's not like Seamus to just disappear like that, so we'll help you find him" she suggested._

_"We? What are you bloody talk—"Draco couldn't finish his sentence before Hermione grabbed his hand and ran to the entrance of Hogwarts. They were in front of the Great Hall where they met up with Ron and Dean._

_"Hermione! There you are! Have you seen—"Ron paused when he noticed Draco standing in front of him. _

_"What are you bloody doing here!"_

_"Never mind that, Ron!" Hermione was too tired to explain everything to him. "We're here to help you find Seamus. He's got to be in here somewhere."_

_"But we haven't seen him all day! He wouldn't just..." Dean started to say when all of a sudden, his voice started fading away. This caused the other three to turn their heads to face him, wondering what was wrong. When they did, they saw the most unusual sight they had ever seen. Right before their eyes, Dean was slowly starting to become transparent, much like a ghost. He appeared to be yelling, yet no sound came from his mouth. They were all shocked from this and tried to save him, but were frozen in their spots caused by this sudden surprise. Dean slowly began vanishing into thin air, until he was completely gone. The other three were completely shocked and didn't know what to do._

_"W-what just h-happened here?" Hermione asked softly, feeling more unprepared and frightened than ever._

_"I-I don't know." Harry replied, noticeably trembling._

_"Look!" Ron exclaimed._

_They all looked at the floor where he was pointing, and their eyes widened even more. They saw something that confused them greatly, and made them panic to the point where they were afraid that it might be a dangerous sign of the future._

_On the exact spot where Dean had disappeared laid a single black rose. _

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**A/N: This chapter is only used to refresh what happened in my last story. I'll post the next chapter soon so that you won't get mad at me for leaving on such a cliffhanger..lol. I'm also thinking of writing two endings for this story (weird, i know) because i would like to write a tragic ending, but then people might like a happy one...so i'll see how it goes. I hope you guys'll like this story :)**


	2. Dumbledore to the Rescue

Dumbledore to the Rescue  


_"I think they call it love_

_It's nothing to be scared about – believe me_

_Ain't nothing we can do_

_Just let it be a part of you – and feel it"  
_

Hermione, Draco, Harry, and Ron all stared at the delicate flower that was on the floor, where Dean had disappeared seconds earlier. They were in disbelief and were bewildered by the unexplainable event that had just occurred. After a few minutes, Ron decided to break the silence.

"I-isn't this the same rose you saw on Seamus's bed this morning, Harry?"

Harry was shocked. He had forgotten about what he had seen earlier in the day, and it was only now that his memories of trying to find Seamus were flooding back to him.

"Y-y-yeah."

"W-what do you suppose it means?" Ron asked nervously.

"I don't know."

"I'm going to get Dumbledore," Hermione stated and started to walk forward. However, Draco grabbed her hand before she could step any further.

"Wait, you're leaving me here?" he asked. She looked into his eyes and saw a sense of uncertainty in them. It was quite strange since it was very rare to see that kind of emotion in a Malfoy.

"Malfoy's scared? I'd never thought the day would come when I'd see that," Harry muttered quietly. Apparently, Hermione must have heard it since she glared at him before answering.

"You can come with me," she turned to the other two boys, "You two stay here."

"But—"

"Just stay here! Maybe it's nothing and Dean will come back, so you two have to stay here. We'll be back," Hermione reassured them. In times like these, she had to be the one who takes charge or else no one would know what to do.

"Let's go. Lumos," she took Draco's hand and together, they rushed through the halls with light coming out of their wands to help them guide through the darkness. On any other day, Hermione would've blushed at the thought of holding Draco's hand tightly, but tonight was an exception. She needed him by her side, to know that he's close to her in case anything happens. She felt a feeling of comfort when thinking about that, and continued on their journey of finding Dumbledore's office. They finally reached a large portrait and knew that they were at their destination but another problem surfaced.

"What do we do now?" Draco asked.

"What do you mean! We go in and tell him what just happened!"

"I know! But how are you suppose to do that without the password!"

Hermione forgot about that particular obstacle. She didn't know the password, even though she was very sure it has to be a name of a sweet. She tried thinking of ways to which she could get Dumbledore's attention when Draco suddenly broke into her thoughts.

"Suppose we yell and make loud noises to get him down here?"

She would've laughed at his suggestion, but now wasn't the best time. "Don't be silly. We'd wake up the whole school."

"Isn't that the whole point?"

"No, we only want to wake up Dumbledore."

"Still the same. If we wake up the whole school, he would be up too."

"Then everyone would wonder what's going on! We must talk to him before we do anything else."

"Talk to me about what?"

Hermione and Draco looked startled at the person who had just spoken to them. It was to their relief that it was only Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore! We're really sorry to disturb you!" Hermione apologized.

He smiled, which calmed their nerves down a bit. "I was just sitting at my desk when I heard two voices outside my door, speaking of disrupting my school just to talk to me." He glanced at Draco, who immediately looked down at his feet as if they were suddenly so fascinating. "Is there anything you need me for, Miss Granger?"

"Yes! We need you! It's an emergency!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! We were trying to help Harry find Seamus since we haven't seen him all day, and when we met up with Ron and Dean in front of the Great Hall. We were only there for a few seconds when Dean just vanished, and a black rose had appeared in his place! It was also the same rose that Harry found in Seamus's bed this morning!" Hermione desperately explained.

"I see," Dumbledore didn't seem surprised by this news, which was odd. "Is that true, Mister Malfoy?"

"Yes, sir," Draco replied, still looking at his feet. The Headmaster looked at him for a few more seconds before turning back to Hermione.

"It could possibly be some sort of Vanishing magic." The two students before him looked confused, so he explained further. "Vanishing magic involves quite a few spells that can cause a person to disappear completely. It must not be confused with Invisibility since the person being invisible is still very much present. Apparition, which you are already knowledgeable of, is a type of Vanishing magic but everyone is aware that no one can apparate within school property."

"So what other form is there, Professor?" Hermione asked with fascination.

"The Vanishing spell, also known as the Evanesco spell. In this case, this is the only option that I can think of. Would you please lead the way to the, shall I say, scene of the crime?"

She nodded and guided them the way to the Great Hall, where they noticed that Harry and Ron were still standing there, eagerly waiting for some help.

"Professor Dumbledore!" they both exclaimed.

He merely smiled and looked at the object on the floor. "I presume this is what you were explaining to me about, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded, hoping that the Headmaster would know the answer to what had just occurred. She glanced at the others and knew that they felt the exactly the same.

"Tell me, was there anyone else here?"

"No, sir" they all replied simultaneously.

"I see."

"Professor? Is everything going to be okay?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore seemed to be pondering as to what to say, but continued on. "I would say that this occurrence is unusual and..." he paused and looked around at the group, "it may be a sign of dangerous things to come. However, I do not want you to describe what you told me to anyone else until I do so myself. Understood?"

They all nodded in agreement but still looked very worried.

"Will they be back?" Ron timidly asked.

"Only time can tell, Mister Weasley. The future holds many mysterious ways to solve the present's obstacles."

Hermione could've sworn that he looked at her and Draco out of the corner of his crescent-shaped spectacles when he said that, but it was probably just a figment of her imagination.

"Is there anything we can do in the meantime?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid not. I do not want any of you to worry too much about this. Now I suggest that all of you get some rest. You've obviously gone through enough for today, and there may be more issues to be discussed tomorrow. You may all go now," Dumbledore instructed. "Except for Mister Malfoy."

Draco looked confused but decided to stay put. He could see Hermione hesitating as to whether she should leave or stay with him there.

"Do not worry, Miss Granger. It'll only be for a while," Professor Dumbledore said, with his usual twinkle.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you in the common room, Draco"

He smiled to show that he understood and turned back to the Headmaster. Once everyone was gone, Dumbledore spoke again.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, Mister Malfoy?"

"Uhh... no, sir"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Dumbledore pondered for a few more seconds before letting him go. "Alright, Mister Malfoy. Just remember I'm always in my office if you need me. You may go now, and do not stay up too late."

"Yes, sir." Draco turned and walked away towards the direction of his common room, where Hermione was waiting for him.

_What was that? I wonder why he wanted to talk to me,_ Draco thought. He staggered slowly through the halls, with so many thoughts and emotions consuming him. These past few weeks have certainly been a rollercoaster for him. Everything around him was changing, including himself. He had no idea what the future may hold for him, but he would try to make the best of the present.

"Fizzing Whizbees."

"Hmm? Oh, yes." The knight in the portrait yawned as he let Draco into the Heads' Tower. He didn't notice, however, that another person was in the common room as he went inside and walked slowly towards his bedroom.

"Are you okay?"

Draco turned around sharply and whipped out his wand at the intruder, but realized it was only Hermione. She looked frightened since he was pointing his wand at her, ready to utter any curse.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Draco lowered his wand, "I didn't know you were here."

"That's okay. I just wanted to know if you're all right. You seem a bit distracted. What did Dumbledore say?"

"He just asked me if I had anything I'd like to tell him."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And there was nothing to say."

"Oh. That's strange. Would he know something you don't?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders and let out a huge yawn. "Can we not talk about this right now? I'm exhausted."

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." Hermione leaned up to kiss Draco on the cheek and walked away. He was first stunned by her actions but smiled mischievously.

"That's what you call a goodnight kiss? I'll show you a proper goodnight kiss!" He ran over to her and grabbed her waist from behind. Hermione giggled as he spun her around a few times before stopping and letting her down. He looked at her in such a deep way that she was beginning to melt in front of him. He leaned over, closing the distance between their bodies and kissed very gently. She loved this feeling that she had of him and he knew it. The kiss lasted for a few more seconds before he pulled away and smiled at her.

"Goodnight, Hermione." He softly whispered as he kissed the top of her forehead.

Hand-in-hand, they walked up the stairs together and departed to their separate bedrooms. The past hour was forgotten as they each fell to sleep, ready for a new day.

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**A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed my prologue...lol. Well, did you think this chapter is okay? If there's anything that needs more explaining (like the Vanishing magic stuff), then just tell me :). I won't update as much (maybe) but i won't abandon the story, or leave it for too long...i'm not that kind of person! Anywho i hope you liked this chapter. The next one is sorta my favourite...lol.**


	3. Draco's Nightmare

Draco's Nightmare

_"I'm sinking slowly_

_So hurry hold me_

_Your hand is all I have_

_To keep me hanging on"_

_Draco was lying in the middle of a dark and cold room. Extreme silence surrounded him and he couldn't even see an inch ahead of him. His head was throbbing and he felt tremendous pain throughout his body, which made it all the more difficult to move around. He got up on his knees and began crawling until he found a wall to support his body while trying to stand. After several attempts, he was successful but his knees still kept on trembling as they were too weak to hold up his body. He had no idea what to do now since he was very unfamiliar with the surroundings._

"_Hello? Anyone here?" he asked coarsely._

_Nobody answered._

_Great, I'm here alone, Draco thought. He decided to ask again, but a bit louder since he didn't how large or small the room was._

"_Is anybody here? I need help! Help! Anyone!" he yelled as loud as he can without hurting his throat, which was already in enough pain as it is._

_Still nobody answered._

_He reached for his wand but didn't find it. He felt hopeless as he didn't have his wand to help him, and he could hardly move his body without experiencing some sort of pain. Just at that moment, he heard a small noise behind him, as if someone was opening a door. He turned around but still faced darkness and instead, waited for whatever that was to come._

"_Lumos" he heard a deep, cold voice say. He knew that, that was the spell for light, yet all he could see was darkness. _

"_Ah, good you're up. You've been out for such a long time that I thought you were already dead" the voice said again. _

_Draco didn't answer. He had no idea whether the person was talking to him or not since he couldn't see his face._

"_Have you decided yet?"_

_Draco decided to speak up and find out what was going on. "Decided what?"_

"_On my proposal."_

"_What proposal? Who are you, anyway? Show me your face!"_

"_My dear boy, I'm standing right beside you."_

_How could that be? This must be a trick; all I see is black, Draco thought. _

"_Liar."_

"_I'm no liar. You've been involved in more deceptions than I have. It seems as if-" the voice paused, "as if you've gone blind."_

"_W-what?" Draco asked hesitantly. That would explain why he couldn't see anything, even when there was light. But how? He had no recollection of anything that caused him to be blind._

"_It also seems like you've lost your memory of the past few hours along with your sight" the voice chuckled cruelly, "That is your punishment for being deceitful to us. However that is very light compared to what you could've gotten if it wasn't for all the qualities you possess that are very useful for us."_

_Draco panicked. What should he do? He couldn't see and he didn't know how dangerous the person was to fight his way to freedom. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard the door open again and more mumbled voices._

"_Ah, perfect timing" the voice said with pleasure._

"_Who's there!" _

"_Draco?"_

_It was a small, timid voice who called his name. He didn't know who it could be, except that this certain voice must belong to a girl. _

"_Draco, it's me! Oh, look what they've done to you!" she cried out. She sounded very familiar to him and he knew that her name was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't figure it out yet._

"_Shut up, girl!" the cold voice demanded. "Crucio."_

_The girl screamed so loud from the pain that he thought he'd lose his hearing too. He had to do something; he couldn't just let the girl suffer like that._

"_Stop what you're doing to her!"_

"_I see you still want to defend her even though she has put you through so much. She has betrayed you for her own, and you still feel you need to protect her?"_

"_Don't listen to him, Draco! I've never betrayed you! I always and forever will be on your side" the girl pleaded._

_He suddenly had a feeling on who the girl is by the way she said that sentence. It couldn't be her, could it?_

"_Shut your mouth, you worthless mudblood! He doesn't know who you are so there's no point on wasting your filthy breath!" the voice shouted._

"_Don't EVER call her a worthless mudblood, or I'll make you regret your very words" Draco threatened, but turned soft when he continued on, "Hermione? Is that you? Where are you?"_

_Some voices gasped since he had recovered some part of his memory, but the girl was more than happy that he was okay._

"_Yes, it's me! I'm right in front of you!" Hermione cried out. "I love you Draco, and I always will."_

_He exploded with happiness as soon as she said those simple words, but the feeling shattered when the cold voice decided to interrupt their moment._

"_How sweet. The two lovebirds are together once more" it said sarcastically. The other voices in the room chuckled along with him. "It must feel awful to separate them again."_

"_What are you talking about?" Draco snapped._

"_I'm talking about my proposal that you rudely ignored earlier."_

"_I still don't know you're saying, so will you just bloody get on with it!"_

_He immediately regretted those words since he heard the voice mutter the Cruciatus curse, and immense pain flooded through him. He fell to the ground, not being able to stand the pain and laid there, wanting so much for someone to help him._

"_Draco!" he heard Hermione cry out. _

"_Now you know never to talk to me like that again! Do you understand, boy!" the voice yelled. _

_He groaned in response and stayed still to wait what will come next._

"_Now about my proposal, I will have to explain it again since you do not remember anything. I have offered you a chance to escape this punishment. You will no longer have to suffer so greatly. You will have more power than you can ever imagine, and you will be widely known to future generations as the greatest wizard in history."_

"_On what condition?" Draco knew it must be something drastic that he has to do if the reward is that great._

"_You kill this girl."_

_Draco felt his heart going still when he heard those four words. He had finally found someone he cared deeply for and could not live without, and now he was faced with the decision of taking her life away for his own._

"_And if I don't?"_

"_Then you die."_

_So this was the game he has to play; either kill the girl he loves for a great reward, or sacrifice his own life. He was wondering if he could think of a plan to escape this with both of them alive, but the voice seemed to have read his mind._

"_There's no way you can run away from this unscathed. I suggest you make your decision wisely now, and think of the grand rewards you will receive if you choose the right one. Do remember that I have guards around the room."_

"_Tell me, why her? Why can't it be someone else?"_

"_She is a filthy mudblood who you seem to have a tremendous liking for. Have you not learned out of all the years you lived that purebloods do not get themselves involved with people of lower statuses? She is the last obstacle that we need to defeat to win this. If you kill her, you will be provided with as much power as you desire and more" the voice paused. "Besides, it would be entertaining to watch."_

_Draco could not believe what he was hearing. If he kills her, he would have power over everything but at the same time, feel worthless since he loses the one girl he loves. If he doesn't, he would be killed and he won't know what would happen to Hermione. He felt even more saddened when he realized that he couldn't save them both and kill whoever the voice belonged to. He was afraid to do that since he was blind, and he might cast an Unforgivable on the wrong person. However, this would be the easiest decision he ever has to make._

"_I have chosen what to do."_

"_Oh, have you now? Your wand is on the floor so all you have to do is say Accio Wand, and point it straight ahead at her, and you'll be done for the day."_

"_Can I at least say some last words?"_

"_Do as you like, but be fast" the voice replied impatiently._

"_Hermione?" _

"_Yes, Draco?" she asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice._

"_You know you are the only girl for me, and I'm glad we've put our differences aside to experience something so everlasting and special. I will treasure that feeling forever."_

"_What are you trying to say?"_

"_I love you," Draco paused, "I'm really sorry for what I'm about to do. I hope you can forgive me. Accio Wand."_

_He heard her gasped as his wand flew directly to his hand. He knew what he was going to do, and it was for the best. He pointed his wand at the desired direction, and felt a tear on his cheek as he dreaded saying the two words that will end a life. He felt the sharpness of the tip of his wand against his own chest, and softly whispered "Avada Kedavra". _

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Draco woke up suddenly from his nightmare and was sweating all over. Everything that he felt and experienced in the dream felt so real, like it was actually reality and not just part of his imagination. He looked around the room, and recognized his Slytherin colours, furniture, and the clothes that were spread all over the floor. He let out a huge sigh of relief and collapsed back on his bed.

_Why would I be blind? Who did the voice belong to? Why am I having this nightmare? _These questions and many more were swarming around in his head. He couldn't figure them out, however, before he fell back to sleep.

It was only a few hours later that Draco had to wake up to change and go to breakfast. He still had the dream on his mind, but thought that it would be best if he didn't think about it for now. He went to the bathroom and opened the door to find Hermione inside.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

"Morning, my fair lady" He replied as he leaned over to her and put his hands around her waist. He then dipped her, which caused her to giggle out loud, and kissed her passionately. After a few minutes, he gently pulled away and smiled at her.

"Wow."

He smirked. "I knew you'd like that."

"No, I didn't mean that. I meant, wow you have incredibly bad breath in the morning," Hermione said, trying to suppress a laugh. She walked out of the bathroom and closed the door, leaving a bewildered Slytherin inside.

"My breath isn't that bad, is it?" he muttered to himself as he began brushing his teeth.

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**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews :). So how was this chapter? It seemed pretty good when i wrote it, but when i proofread it, i thought it was kinda rushed (especially the part where Draco remembers Hermione) but oh well. Did you get the ending of the nightmare??? I wanted to make it clear what his decision was without making too obvious...so if you're still confused, just tell me. So do you think it's okay? Any improvements? Any missing gaps that i probably overlooked? I know you might think i have a "thing" for dreams (if u read masked feelings) but oh well!!! **


	4. A Couple's Obstacles

A Couple's Obstacles

_"I would go anywhere, anytime baby say the word_

_To prove that this heart of mine is yours_

_No matter what it takes I'll see it through, do anything to get to you_

_Anywhere, anytime"_

Students were filing into the Great Hall, ready for a new day but oblivious to the news to come. Hermione looked across to the Slytherin table, and noticed Draco eating by himself. All of his so-called "friends" had abandoned him ever since word got out that he and Hermione were a couple. Now they just give dirty looks whenever they pass him since they feel betrayed by their own kind. She had a similar experience with the Gryffindors, but not as extreme. Some of her friends, including Harry and Ron, were still baffled as to why she would get herself involved with their own enemy. Others, such as Lavender, were excited that she gets to date the best-looking guy in the whole school. It seemed as if everyone was talking about this new topic but hushed down when Professor Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement.

"I have some news to tell you, and I urge you all to listen carefully to me."

Everyone in the hall quieted down as they turned their attention to their headmaster.

"Two of our students, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, have gone missing" he paused for a while to let everybody finish their whispering, "I do not know what happened but I have been told that they seemed to have vanished into thin air leaving a black rose behind. I do not know the significance of that particular item but I advise you if you see it anywhere, or if you witness first-hand a disappearance, that you report it immediately. I assure you that all the teachers in the school have taken protective measures to ensure your safety."

By the time Dumbledore finished, everyone erupted into conversations of what he had just said. Nobody knew what he was talking about so they were more than curious and frightened that strange occurrences were happening right in their very school. That is, except the four people who had actually eye witnessed Dean's vanishing. They all sat silently playing with their food, engrossed in their own issues and problems to care about their surroundings.

"Hermione," Harry calmly said.

The brunette looked up from her plate at the sound of her name to the person who was sitting across from her.

"Hmm?"

"Umm... me and Ron," he looked at the red-headed boy beside him, "we've thought about it."

"Thought about what?"

"You know," Ron paused, "you and... and... and-"

"Draco."

"Yeah, him."

"Well? What have you got to say?"

"We've thought about it and we think that you're making a big mistake getting yourself involved with Malfoy," Harry said.

"Draco."

"What?"

"His name's Draco."

"That bloke doesn't deserve a name," Ron muttered under his breath.

"I don't think that I'm making a big mistake," Hermione stated, who apparently didn't hear Ron's comment.

"You didn't let me finish. Even though we think you're making a big mistake being with...," Harry paused, "_him, _we'll still support your decision."

Hermione beamed. "You will?"

"Yeah, but we're only doing this for you."

"I know. Thank you guys!" she said as she leaned across the table to hug her two best friends.

"Just remember, if he tries anything funny on you, we'll be here-"

"To kick his arse," Ron said.

"Oh, don't be silly. You don't need to do that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"You're right. After all, what's magic for? Just use a couple of hexes and curses and for sure, he'll learn not to-"

"Ron!"

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Well, I'm glad you've given him a chance," Hermione said.

"That doesn't mean we're going to start being friends with him. We'll try to be civil towards him as long as he does the same," Harry told her.

"The keyword there is _try_, Hermione," Ron stated.

"I know it'll be hard for you boys to do this, but trust me on this," she smiled and turned her attention to the Slytherin boy across the hall, "doesn't he look terribly lonely back there?"

They turned around to see what she was talking about. Sure enough, Draco was sitting alone at the end of the Slytherin table, playing with his food and looking miserable. Everyone in his House were still giving him dirty looks and calling him a "traitor" but he had learned to ignore them. It was very ironic how only a couple of weeks ago, he was surrounded by admirers and followers, but now he was completely alone. Well, not entirely alone; after all, he has Hermione on his side, and that was enough for him. He looked up to meet Hermione's gaze, and smiled weakly. She grinned back knowing she felt sorry for him since he didn't have loyal and sincere friends like she has. Feeling very uncomfortable, Draco got up from his seat and slowly walked out of the Great Hall, all the while keeping his eye on Hermione. This wasn't a very smart move since he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" Pansy exclaimed.

"Bugger off, Pansy" Draco said.

"No!" she felt more and more confident towards him ever since his reputation dwindled. "What's wrong with you lately! You've been completely ignoring me and now I hear you're with that mudblood?!"

She instantly regretted saying those words since his face suddenly became cold, and his eyes seemed more dangerous than they have ever been.

"Don't ever, and I mean EVER, call her that again, do you hear me?"

Pansy scoffed. "You say that to her face every chance you get! And you're telling me to stop it?"

"Some people change for the better, Pansy. Others just stay ugly and idiotic... with you as their queen." Before she could say anything, he walked away to avoid any further conversation with her.

He found himself walking along the corridors to the Potions classroom. Of course, that is his next class so there's no excuse as to why he would be here. He entered the room and noticed that there was nobody else there except him. He was very early, but he didn't care since he didn't feel like being bothered anyway. He sat on the appropriate seat and rested his head. There were so many issues and events clouding his mind that he thought his head would explode.

_I knew I would be given a less-than-dirt status from the Slytherins. Dating a Gryffindor, a muggle-born, would definitely cause this uproar from them. But she's worth it. Every second of it. I would, without a doubt, do anything for her even... oh, my nightmare! I wonder what it was telling me. I hope it won't come true. No, don't think about it; it's just something silly. Probably just from all the stress. But why does the pain feel so real?_ He wondered to himself. _Maybe I should... yes just in case, start protecting Hermione more to prevent anything from happening to her. I mean, you never know right? I wonder who that voice was. It couldn't have been him, could it? How would he know that I care for Hermione? People must think I've gone mad to have feelings for her, especially Father if he hears anything. Ha ha. Oh Merlin. _

Draco's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when he heard students starting to enter the classroom. They were all chatting about Dumbledore's announcement, and making their own theories of the vanishings.

"Can you believe what he said? Maybe it's The Attack of the Roses!"

"Or maybe it's all really just some kind of joke from the teachers!"

"But why those two?"

"Maybe they hated roses."

Draco could tell they were only just a group of Slytherins since they were laughing and making fun of the disappearances, not taking in the seriousness of it all. They hadn't been there, he had. They hadn't actually experience the horror of watching Dean fading into thin air, and here they were, joking about everything. Had he been that shallow before? Had he teased everything that he didn't understand? The answer was obvious. Of course he did; he tormented Hermione many times before he knew her better. He was the leader of all the Slytherins having many followers along the way. But that all changed ever since he put his life in perspective. He was thankful for that, or else he'd feel nothing inside, but have everything at his feet.

He looked around the classroom, and noticed that everyone was there, except for...

"Hermione!"

"Wait up!"

Hermione walked into the room very quickly with Harry and Ron trailing behind her. They were panting and couldn't wait to sit down on their seats. They had been yelling at her to stop dashing to class so fast since she had ran all the way from the Great Hall to the dungeon to avoid being late for Potions. The moment they sat down, the Potions master entered the room from his office. He started lecturing on the various kinds of potions that they will be studying and making, but Draco wasn't paying attention. He never did, and yet he still has the second-highest mark in the class. Next to Hermione, of course. He glanced at her and noticed how she was sitting so upright and listening to every word that Snape had to say. He smiled at the sight, unaware that someone was speaking to him.

"Mister Malfoy!"

He jerked his head to the front of the room, where Snape was standing.

"Do you know the answer to my question?" the Professor asked.

"Erm... w-wha-"

"Speak up!"

"What was your question?"

Snape's eyes narrowed and his voice became even deeper than it already was. "Maybe, Mister Malfoy, you would know what I asked if you were paying attention here, instead of looking over," Snape nodded his head to the Gryffindor direction, "there. Can anyone answer for Mister Malfoy?"

Immediately, Hermione's hand shot up in the air, but Snape ignored her completely. "Anybody?"

Seeing as nobody knew, except one, he gave up and answered for them. "Pathetic. A Bicorn is a mythic demonic creature that has two horns and lives on eating the flesh of faithful and enduring husbands. The female equivalent of Bicorn is called Chichevache. Its horns are useful as potion ingredients," he paused as most of the students were taking notes on his information, "I want you to write a ten-foot essay on what I said about the Bicorn, except in more specific detail, and the various potions that requires the horns in order to produce an effect. Go."

At his command, all the students took out their quills and parchments and started to write. It was an easy essay, one that Draco could do in no time, so it didn't matter if he began it now or at the last-minute. He wrote one sentence but stopped when his mind began to wander off.

What would Dumbledore know about the disappearances? Draco knew that he said he didn't know what happened, but that's not his usual self. He knows everything, which is what makes Dumbledore such a mystery. Could Draco himself have anything to do with this? After all, his family is known to be associated with the Dark Lord and it would explain why the Headmaster would want to talk to him. But if that was the case, he would've heard something, especially from his father. However, he hadn't received a word from his family for some time now. But wait... there was that letter he burnt that his father wrote to him. Draco cursed himself for getting rid of the letter so fast, without even reading what was inside. Could there've been a message that could explain what's happening now?

Draco had a sudden feeling as if he was being watched and automatically looked up from his work. He saw his Professor give him a look, and then turned back to marking papers. It wasn't exactly unexpected since he knew that Snape would definitely oppose Draco's "Slytherin-Gryffindor" relationship with Hermione. He guessed he's probably not one of the Professor's favourite people anymore; he's just any normal student to him, maybe even less than that. Draco returned to writing his essay, even though his mind was on many other things.

_A whole day was done and over with. Finally!_, Draco thought as he plopped down on the couch. He decided to skip supper and head straight to the Heads' tower to avoid any confrontation he would have with his own House if he went to the Great Hall. He didn't care if he had to skip a meal as long as he doesn't have to suffer any kind of torment. He'd never thought that the whole school would know he fancied Hermione so fast, but then again, there are many gossipers attending Hogwarts. Maybe Potter or Weasley told one of the Gryffindors about them, and in turn, he or she would tell everyone else.

_I don't care anymore as long as Hermione's with me_, he thought as he rested his eyes. He was about to fall asleep when he heard a faint tapping in the distant. He got up and walked up the stairs to see what was going on.

_Tap, tap._

He turned to the direction of his bedroom and knew the noise must be coming from there.

_Tap, tap._

He opened the door and looked around the room for anything unusual.

_Tap, tap._

His eyes finally rested on one of his windows, and saw his family's eagle owl just right outside.

_Tap, tap._

"Alright, I'm coming!" Draco said as he walked quickly to the window and opened it for the owl to come in. Once it was inside, he closed the window to avoid the cold evening air, and took the letter the owl had.

"_Draco Malfoy"_

His name was neatly written across the center of the envelope and immediately knew it must be from his father. His hands slightly trembled when he had a thought that this might be the letter that can explain the vanishings. After all, what other business did his father want from him? He could verify his prediction the very second he reads the message. He would know the answer, but who would he go to? He could tell Hermione but she would want him to go to Dumbledore. If he went to the Headmaster, then he would have to face the decision of whether to follow his father or Dumbledore. He was about to open the envelope when he heard someone call him faintly.

"Draco?"

_It must be Hermione!_ He thought happily as he went down the stairs to see her in the common room.

"What's all that food for?" he asked when he noticed that she was holding a plateful of food on one hand and a cup on the other.

"Your supper!"

"You brought me my supper?"

"Yeah! I noticed you weren't there so I decided to bring some food for you to eat so that you wouldn't starve yourself."

"What would I do without you?" he asked rhetorically.

"Rotting away somewhere. Oh, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"The paper in your hand."

He forgot he was still carrying his letter and tried to make up an answer. "Oh, this? It's nothing. You know, just notes for my classes."

She raised an eyebrow but seemed to believe his reply. "Can I see?"

"Why?" he asked quickly. He didn't want her to know that it was actually a letter from his father since he felt that she would be better protected if she doesn't know that sort of information.

"I just want to see what you wrote," Hermione said innocently.

"Um... well you know, it's only some boring notes from History of Magic. It's nothing important. In fact, I'll just put this in my room, and I'll be right back."

Draco ran back to his room before she could say anything, and hid it deep inside one of his drawers that he was sure no one would find it in. He would get back to reading it later, but right now, he would rather spend some quality time with his girlfriend. He ran back to the common room to see Hermione sitting on the couch patiently waiting for him.

"Miss me?" he teased playfully.

"You were gone? I didn't notice," she joked back. "C'mon, eat."

He followed her instruction and began filling his mouth with various kinds of delicious foods while she watched him in amusement. He must've been really starving since he finished his supper in only ten minutes.

"Mmm... that was great," Draco said as he kissed Hermione on the cheek. "Think you could do this everyday?"

"Do what? Bring food to you? Don't even think about it! I'm not your house-elf, you know! Speaking of house-elves, you should really-"

She got cut off when he kissed her passionately on the lips. He didn't want to hear her lecture about treating house-elves properly and decided to take appropriate actions. Apparently, it was a good idea since she enjoyed it as much as he did.

"What was that for?" she asked, with her face obviously flushed from Draco's sudden move.

"To shut you up," he said smiling, "And I've wanted to kiss you for the whole day."

"Oh well, there's no need to stop," Hermione said. Draco grinned mischievously and leaned closer until their lips finally touched, and forgetting all about his letter.

* * *

**A/N: Thnx guys for the reviews. This chapter seems longer than usual, yeah? I seem to have ideas for the ending of the story already =S..but i can't put it into words..argh! Well anywho, please review...it's my motivation to keep writing (or improve anything) :)**


	5. Chaos

Chaos

_"You're scared it's gonna change_

_You say you need a guarantee – just leave it_

_You'll look but you won't find_

_Don't you know that love is blind – just feel it"_

The Great Hall was filled with students devouring their breakfast, and getting ready for a new day of classes. However, it wasn't any normal day; today, it was unusually quiet. Everyone was still pondering about Dumbledore's announcement yesterday, but were a bit calm since they were sure that they would be well-protected from harm. This morning, the Gryffindor table was the most silent out of the four groups. Two people from the Gryffindor house were missing, and this only terrified them more.

Hermione looked at the two empty seats that would have been occupied by Seamus and Dean if they were here. It seems as if most people were thinking about them too, but felt helpless since they don't know what's going on and can't save them.

"They would've been eating and laughing with us right now," Ron commented. "It seems as if it was only yesterday that I was playing wizard's chess with them."

"Don't talk like that," Harry murmured.

"Talk like what?"

"Like they're dead."

Ron opened his mouth but decided against it. He had no idea what to say to that since he didn't want to make the situation any worse, and kept quiet.

"They're not dead. They can't be," Hermione said.

"You don't know that," Harry calmly said.

"We can at least hope, can't we?"

Nobody answered her question, but nobody had to. It was quite obvious that, yes they can hope for Seamus and Dean's safe return, but they all felt a need to go investigate what happened in order to save the day. They didn't care how difficult or dangerous; they just wanted everything to be normal again.

"Professor Dumbledore!"

A cry for the Headmaster pierced the noiseless hall, and had everyone search for who called for him.

"Professor Dumbledore! You've got to help me!"

A small boy with brown hair was running up to the teacher's table, waving his arms all about with his face full of tears. He was the smallest boy in Hogwarts so it took a while for everyone to recognize who it was.

"Mister Creevey, what's the matter?"

"My... my... he... I... oh Merlin," the boy hesitantly said before collapsing on the floor. This caused uproar from all the students in the Great Hall. They were terrified and tried to run out of the hall, while others gathered around the small boy to see what was going on.

"Stop this instant!" Dumbledore demanded. At his command, everyone froze and looked at the Professor for any further instructions.

"I will not have chaos erupt in my school! Prefects and teachers, please lead the students of your own House to your Tower. Will the Head Boy and Girl please stay here," he turned to Professor McGonagall, "Minerva would you kindly inform Madam Pomfrey to come here immediately?"

She nodded her head and along with the rest of the students, went out of the Great Hall. Dumbledore stood over the boy on the floor and appeared to be contemplating on the situation at hand.

"Professor, is he... is he..." Hermione started to say.

"No, Miss Granger, he's not dead. He simply fainted," Dumbledore calmly said.

Draco walked up closer to where the boy laid. He didn't seem familiar so he must be from some other House besides Slytherin.

"Who is he?" Draco softly asked.

"Dennis Creevey. He's a Gryffindor," Hermione replied. "I just can't believe this."

"Do not worry, Miss Granger. Once Mister Creevey wakes up, he will be able to explain what happened to cause him to act in such way."

"Professor! I got here as fast as I could. Now what is the matter?" Madam Pomfrey turned to Dennis who was lying on the floor, "Oh dear!"

She immediately went by his side and slapped him gently on the face. After a couple of times, it seemed to have work since Dennis began waking up.

"Where am I? Is this all a dream? Where's my brother?" he asked as he tried to get up.

"You are in the Great Hall, I do not think this is any dream, and do you want someone to get him for you?" Dumbledore asked.

"No! If this isn't a dream then..." Dennis looked much paler, which made Madam Pomfrey concerned.

"Oh dear, let me take you to the Hospital Wing," she said.

"Poppy, I think I need to ask him a few more questions before you take him away."

"Albus, please! The poor boy needs medical help! I'm sure your questions can wait."

"This is important. I need to know what's going on. It'll only be a minute."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey reluctantly said.

"Mister Creevey, can you explain why you ran in here with such concern?" Dumbledore asked.

"Where's my brother?" Dennis demanded, ignoring the Headmaster's question.

"I'll go find him for you right now," Hermione suggested.

"No! You don't understand!"

"Would you help us to understand?" Dumbledore asked.

"He was... he was... right there... and... he... gone!"

Everybody around him looked shocked, dreading what he was trying to say.

"Mister Creevey, can you please provide more details?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"We were just talking in our common room, like usual. He was in the middle of a sentence when he just started to fade away. He was opening his mouth like he was talking but I didn't hear anything from him! He started slowly fading until he was totally gone! I tried to grab him but I was just touching air! It was like he was a ghost! Then something caught my eye, and I saw this black rose on the spot where he disappeared."

"Was there anyone else there with you?"

"No, no one. Just me and my brother."

"So there was nothing? Nothing unusual you saw?"

"No, not really. Well, actually I think I did see something, but it was probably just my imagination."

"Please do tell. Anything would be of help."

"Okay well, when Colin was almost completely gone, I thought I saw this thing in the corner of the room. It was small and dark but before I could see it properly, it was gone."

"So you don't know what it was?"

"No! I was too upset over my brother, how could I think about anything else! Professor, where _is_ he? I want him back!"

"I'm sorry I can't provide you with an answer right now. Please go with Madam Pomfrey and she will attend to any of your needs. We'll try to find Mister Colin Creevey as soon as we can," Dumbledore reassured him.

Dennis nodded and went with Madam Pomfrey, who was practically dragging him all the way to the Hospital Wing. The Headmaster turned to the two other students before him.

"Was the disappearance that Mister Creevey described, except with Mister Thomas?"

Hermione and Draco both nodded at the Professor.

"I see."

"Sir, what's going on?" Hermione asked.

"As I've said before, I can't provide you with an answer to these strange incidents. I can only try to protect the rest of my students from chaos. If there is nothing new for me to be informed of, then I suggest you two return to the Heads' Tower and stay there until further instructions."

"Yes, sir," the two students obeyed simultaneously.

They both headed out of the Great Hall and towards the direction of their room, busy talking about what happened.

Meanwhile, not so far away in the Gryffindor common room, two other people were also discussing about current events.

"Ron, what do you think happened?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, mate, but I don't want to know."

"Wasn't that Dennis Creevey?"

"Who?"

"The boy who fainted, wasn't he Dennis Creevey?"

"Yeah, I think he was. But why would he be running in there wanting help from Dumbledore?"

"I don't know. Where's Colin?" Harry asked.

That was a good question. Everyone thought he was with his brother, but when Dennis ran in by himself, they could only assume the worst.

"I have no idea. No one has seen him since he wasn't with his brother," Ron's eyes widened, "Do you suppose?"

"Suppose what?"

"Do you think he..." Ron paused, "vanished?"

"That... that could be a possibility. But maybe he's just in the lavatory when all this happened."

"For _this_ long?"

"Well..." Harry paused for a while, "you never know."

"But why else would Dennis come to Dumbledore for _help_? I'm pretty sure he's gone."

Harry pondered what Ron said. Perhaps he was right. After all, no one has seen him when they were doing the head count, and someone should have seen him by now.

"So let's say he's gone, we can't do anything to help him come back! We don't even know what's causing all of this."

"I think I do."

Harry had a surprised look on his face. "Well, say it!"

"I think," Ron's voice lowered to a whisper to avoid eavesdroppers, "that I know who's behind this."

"Who?"

"The Slytherins."

"What!" Harry was in disbelief that Ron would suggest such a thing.

"It makes sense if you think about it. What is in common with the three people who disappeared?"

"Umm... they're all boys?"

"Well yes, but that's beside the point. They're all _Gryffindors_. Who hates us the most out of the other three Houses?"

It wasn't a difficult question. "Slytherin."

"_Exactly_."

"But why?"

"I told you already. They hate us. They probably want a House War or something."

"Dumbledore wouldn't approve of that. I know they have their horrible ways, but they can't be that cruel! They were just as surprised as we were!"

"Harry, have you gone all soft on me now!"

"No, but I just don't think they're capable of doing this."

"Sure they are. They're smart in an evil sort of way. They have _connections_."

"Yes, but still, it just doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?"

"Where do they put the people who disappeared?"

"Probably somewhere no one can see but the Slytherins."

"Why the black rose?"

"It's like a trademark. You know, something to remember them by so that the next time you see it, you know they were there."

"Why Seamus, Dean and Colin?"

"Maybe they were chosen randomly."

"But how could they do this? You were there when Dean disappeared, no one else was with us."

"That's where you're wrong, mate. _Malfoy_ was with us. Can you guess which House Malfoy is in?" Ron asked, sounding like a parent talking to a three-year old child.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Slytherin."

"Exactly."

"Okay let's say it was him, how would he have made Dean vanish then?"

"He probably muttered some spell. Don't you remember what Dumbledore told us? It could be from the Evanesco spell. Malfoy probably used that."

"It still doesn't make sense. If he made Dean vanish, then why didn't he make the rest of us go too?"

"It'd be too obvious. Having four people disappear at once and leaving yourself behind would only cause suspicion."

"What about Seamus?"

"What about him?"

"Slytherins aren't allowed to come into the Gryffindor Tower. How could Malfoy have Seamus disappear?"

"Maybe you're not the only one with an Invisibility cloak."

"I guess it makes sense."

"Yeah! And maybe Malfoy was only using Hermione as bait to get back at us!"

"Now that's going a bit too far, don't you think?"

"Either way, we've got to watch out for Hermione. Who knows what could happen?"

Harry considered Ron's theory for a while; he actually might be right. "So what are we going to do?"

"We could always spy on Malfoy, and see what he's up to. I mean, he could be the one behind all of this! We've cracked the case!"

Harry laughed at Ron's enthusiasm of solving a mystery. If he was going to do this, he might as well do it for his best friend. "Do you think we should tell Hermione about this?"

"No, not until we have absolute evidence that he's doing all of this."

"Makes sense."

"Good. Now let's see if we could steal any food from anybody. I'm starved!" Ron exclaimed as he and Harry got up to join the rest of the Gryffindor students.

"Draco, I'm scared."

"It's alright, Hermione. I'm here."

The Head Boy and Girl spent most of the day in their room talking about the strange disappearances, and also awaiting for any instructions from Dumbledore, if there were any. Classes were cancelled, which was good – according to Draco, but it was extremely boring to stay inside out of protection. They had already received their meals from a teacher, who had informed them that the faculty has yet to think of a plan to protect the safety of all students and must remain in their Tower until possibly the next morning. Draco and Hermione instead spent their time talking about anything and everything.

"What do you think is happening?" Hermione asked. She was cuddled up with Draco on the couch, watching the fireplace.

"I don't know," he responded back. That was the truth of course since he didn't know whether these vanishings have anything to do with his father.

"What do you think will happen next?"

"I don't really want to know. I just want to enjoy the moment right now, instead of worrying about something else."

"What if it happens to either one of us?"

"Hermione, don't say that."

"Why not? If it happened to Seamus, Dean and Colin, I'm pretty sure one of us could be next."

"Maybe it's just nothing."

"How could you think that!"

"I mean, who would leave roses like that? Some sort of rose fairy?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"No, but that's not a bad idea!"

"You've got to be kidding."

Hermione giggled and snuggled even more with Draco. He loved the way they were at this moment and felt as if he could stay like this forever. He didn't want to think about anything that will worry him, or else this comfort feeling would go away. He smiled at the thought of Hermione and hugged her tighter.

He kissed her hair and softly whispered, "Don't worry, I'm always here to protect you no matter what."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews and for the "motivation" lol. Well, i don't think i have much to say about this chapter, except that i hope you know the "hints" that i put in this one. i try to put a few in each chapter to keep you guessing about how it's gonna turn out, and i dunno if it's working or not...lol. i love foreshadowing ;) and dreams...but i think the dream thing is getting old..but this is the sequel so oh well! i wonder if you guys can guess what's gonna happen ;)....**


	6. Lifeless

Lifeless

_"Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?_

_The lord took her away from me_

_She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good  
  
So I can see my baby when I leave this world"  
  
_

_Draco was lying on the floor in a very dark room. Silence engulfed him and he couldn't see a single thing through the darkness. All through his body, he felt immense pain which made it a difficult task for him to move about. Since there was absolutely no light in the room to help his visibility, he decided to take out his wand for better assistance. He felt the pocket where he usually placed his wand, but there was nothing._

_That's strange. I don't remember taking it out or losing it! But if it's not on me, then it must be somewhere on the floor, Draco thought as he felt the ground for his lost item. As soon as his fingers touched the floor, he felt some sort of liquid substance._

_Could it be water? He thought and decided to test his question out by licking the liquid off his fingers. He still wasn't sure whether it was water or not, but it certainly did have a sort of "taste" to it. He searched more since the substance might lead him to the source, and after only a few seconds, he found it. And it was definitely not something he would rejoice about. His fingers had happened to come in contact with something else, and he knew instantly what it was since he had felt..._

_A hand! Bloody hell! He thought as he threw his arm back in disgust. If he indeed touched someone's hand, then the liquid substance that he tasted must've been blood. He immediately felt nauseated since he'd never thought in a million years would he have tasted blood of another. But who could the hand belong to? He must be beside a body but could this person still be alive? _

"_Wake up! Are you alright? Answer me!" he asked in desperation as he shook the body. _

_No answer. Just a lifeless corpse._

_He felt so hopeless and alone that he was sure no one would be able to find him, and that he would have to die in this wretched room. His life must've been destined this way, even though he has tried so much to change his ways. He felt a shiver down his spine, and prepared for the worst to come. _

_He heard something creak and then the sound of footsteps. Yes, I'm going to be saved! Draco thought happily._

"_Lumos."_

_What? How can that be? I still see pitch black! He wondered with curiousity._

"_Who's there!" he yelled into the darkness. However, he was only responded with harsh laughter._

"_Who are you? You've got to help me; I can't see anything and I think there's a body beside me!" he exclaimed._

_This only resulted in even more cruel laughter._

"_What's bloody wrong with you! You must help me! Please!" he yelled angrily._

"_I'd never thought the day would come when you would beg for help on your knees... literally," the voice teased callously._

"_What are you talking about! Are you going to bloody help me and this corpse get out of here or not!"_

"_Ahh, I see you've found him."_

"_Him? Who's him?"_

"_Well, I doubt you'd recognized him for two reasons."_

"_What? What are they?"_

"_First, he was so badly killed that his face is absolutely unrecognizable. All you could see is the bare insides of his head."_

_Draco felt as if he was going to vomit. He didn't need that information, especially at his greatest time of need. _

"_His name. Just tell me his name."_

"_I do not know it. He doesn't matter to me."_

"_Who are you?"_

"_That is not up for discussion."_

"_Fine, then. What's the second reason?"_

"_You're blind."_

_Had he heard the cold voice correctly? He couldn't be blind, could he? But that would explain the fact that he couldn't see any light when the person who the voice belonged to entered the room._

"_H-how am I b-blind?"_

"_How else? You were being disobedient and this was your punishment."_

_Draco didn't know what to say. How defiant could he have been if being blind was his punishment?_

"_However, I do have an offer."_

"_What are you saying?" Draco asked curiously._

"_I can get you out of this misery if you can do me one thing."_

"_And what's that?" _

_Just then, the room was filled with more noise that sounded much like footsteps._

"_Ahh, perfect timing. We were just talking about you."_

"_Talking about who?" he asked._

"_Draco?" a small, timid female voice asked._

"_Who called my name?"_

"_Draco, it's me! Oh Merlin, what happened to you?" she cried out._

_He recognized that familiar voice, but it can't be her. What would she be doing here out of all places?_

"_H-hermione? W-where are you?"_

"_Right here!" her soft tone grew harsher when she turned to the others who were around her, "Let go of me!"_

_Even though he was blind, he could sense that she was trying to fight off guards that surrounded her in order to get to him. His prediction was right when he felt her body against his, her arms flung around his neck. _

"_Oh, what have they done to your eyes?" she softly asked as she gently stroked his face. He winced when she touched his eyes, the area that has been hurting him the most._

"_Stop this at once! Crucio!" the cold voice demanded._

_Draco braced himself to feel the result of the spell, but nothing had hit him. Instead, the curse was intended for Hermione, who screamed loudly because of the immense pain. _

"_Stop what you're doing to her! Just let her go!"_

"_I don't think that's possible."_

"_Why?" Draco asked coldly. "She's done nothing wrong."_

"_You can stop putting on this act."_

"_What act?"_

"_You can stop being someone you're not. I can let you escape this barrier that she has put on you. I can guarantee you will be known as the most powerful wizard, and be praised upon by many, if you follow me."_

"_Draco, don't listen to him!" Hermione pleaded._

"_Shut up, you filthy mudblood! No one can protect you here!"_

"_Leave her out of this! Just tell me what you want from me," Draco said angrily._

"_For you to accept my offer. If you do, I assure you that you will receive many great rewards. However, if you refuse, I'm afraid there will be terrible consequences."_

"_So what do you want me to do?"_

"_I want you to kill her."_

_This can't be happening, Draco thought. That must be the reason why she's here._

"_Why does it have to be her?"_

"_You are far too attached to her. We are purebloods, and we do not associate with anyone of lower statuses, especially her. Get rid of her, and you will have all the glory you crave for."_

"_And if I don't, then what will happen?"_

"_Simple. You die."_

_Draco was shocked by this deal he was given. He either had to kill to the girl he loved for power or sacrifice himself._

"_I must remind you that you must not show your weaknesses. Malfoys are not known to act like that," the cold voice said._

"_Who are you to say how my family should or should not behave!" _

_He was only responded by laughter, which infuriated him even more. "Will you stop bloody laughing and answer me!"_

"_Do not ever speak to me like that again! Crucio!" _

_The pain that hit him was worse than he had ever imagined. He felt as if he had lost control of his body, and collapsed onto the floor. _

"_Draco!" Hermione screamed out loud. _

_He groaned as she tried to lift him up, careful to not add more pain to his already aching body._

"_Have you decided yet?" the voice asked impatiently._

"_Do... you... not... see... the... pain... I'm... in?" Draco asked, taking a breath between each word._

"_Of course as I am the one who caused it, but I do expect an answer. I do not have all day."_

_Draco already knew what his decision was, but didn't have enough strength to say it. After a while, he slowly stood up with some help from Hermione, and spoke again._

"_I know what I have to do."_

_The voice feeling satisfied that he had finally knocked some sense into the boy replied back, "Have you really?"_

_The young Slytherin ignored his question, and instead spoke to the girl next to him._

"_Hermione, you know I love you-"_

"_Yes, I know. I love you too," she softly said, interrupting his sentence._

"_And I would do anything for you-"_

"_I would do anything for you too."_

"_You must forgive me for what I've done to you in the past-"_

"_Yes, I already did a long time ago."_

"_And I've always enjoyed the time we had together-"_

"_Me too."_

"_Even though people said I've betrayed you and that you don't mean anything to me is-"_

"_Wrong, I know. I don't believe them."_

"_I've never left your side, Hermione. I've always been there to protect you-"_

"_And I love you for that."_

"_Even if it means doing drastic things in order to ensure your safety-"_

"_Yes, I know. I would do the same for you."_

"_But this is one of those times that I feel I'm doing the right thing for the both of us-"_

"_I understand."_

"_What exactly is your decision, boy!" the voice exclaimed, tired of the young couple's conversation._

"_I've decided that..." he paused before continuing, "that I think this whole ordeal is insane, and that I would rather die a horrible death than have Hermione suffer."_

"_Is that so?" the voice scowled._

"_Yes and also I think you should go to hell whoever you are for making us go through all of this."_

"_You always can't seem to shut that mouth of yours, can you? I must say, you should choose wiser words or it will lead you to terrible consequences."_

_Draco was about to reply, but it was too late since the voice shouted out, "Avada Kedavra!"_

_He knew he was done for. He had expected this since he had done the one thing that the voice didn't want him to do. _

"_Draco! Noo!!" he heard Hermione cry out as he was hit by the Death Curse. He plummeted to the floor, taking in his last breath as he fell. There would be no more suffering, he hoped. Someone would come and save Hermione, and everything will be alright; he was certain of that. She wouldn't have to be involved in any of the mess that he created in his life, and she would be happy with hers. Her sweet, soft voice calling out his name still lingered in the air..._

_Draco..._

_Draco..._

"DRACO!"

His eyes immediately opened when someone yelled out his name. He looked around and saw a brown-haired girl standing over him.

"Wha-at?" he asked in a very sleepy, and annoyed tone.

"Are you alright?"

He gazed right at Hermione, and noticed how she always seemed so innocent. Was it only a while ago that he had dreamed that he had to either kill her or die himself?

"What are you staring at?" she asked, slightly self-conscious that someone was looking at her.

"You look beautiful this morning," he replied with a smile.

"Only this morning? What about all the other times?" she teased.

"Slightly unnerving?" he said as she rolled her eyes, and hit him playfully on the arm.

"Seriously, are you alright? I saw that you were sweating in your sleep, and thought something was wrong."

"No, don't worry, nothing's wrong," he reassured.

"Okay then. I'm just going to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast. I'll see you there," she said before she gave him a peck on the cheek. He smiled as she happily walked out of the room, leaving him behind to get ready.

He knew something was definitely up, but he just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you guys for your reviews..I really appreciate it :). I hope you liked this chapter!**


	7. Must Be Malfoy

Must Be Malfoy

_"And if there's no tomorrow_

_And all we have is here and now_

_I'm happy just to have you_

_You're all the love I need somehow"_

When Draco entered the Great Hall, he noticed that there was not that many students eating breakfast as before. After yesterday, most of them cowered in their rooms, afraid that in any moment they may start vanishing. Classes were cancelled so that the teachers would be able to make sense of what was happening, and hopefully calm the students down.

He walked towards the Slytherin table, and sat at his usual spot – at the end of the table by himself. He knew he didn't have any "true" friends; they were just there because they wanted to be on his good side. It was either that, or they feared him. While eating, he contemplated on the dream that he had last night. Could it be some sort of sign? There were definitely some similarities between the first and second nightmare that he had. In both of them, he was blind, Hermione was taken captive, and there was that voice. What could this all mean? He didn't get far in thinking when he suddenly felt someone was watching him. He looked around the Hall – and sure enough, he was right.

_What do they want from me now? _Draco thought as he glared back at Harry and Ron. He knew that they didn't approve of his new relationship with Hermione, but he has enough problems already. Couldn't they just leave him alone for one second?

"Do you think it's right doing this?" Harry asked.

"Are you having second thoughts about this?" Ron asked back.

"Well, I don't think it's fair to Hermione if we promised her that we'll give Malfoy a chance, and here we are, trying to get evidence that he's behind all of these disappearances."

"We never said that we have to be all buddy-buddy towards him. Besides, we're doing her a favour! When she realizes that Malfoy is actually the one who did all of this, she'll come back to her senses."

"But what if..." Harry hesitated to say.

"What if?"

"Maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Are you saying you don't think Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins did this?"

"That could be a possibility."

"Look, I'm pretty sure he is, otherwise I wouldn't have told you all those stuff yesterday," Ron glanced over at Hermione who was talking with Lavender and Ginny, "and besides I'm doing this to protect our best friend."

"I know."

"So are you still in?"

"Yeah, I guess so. How are we going to prove that it's Malfoy?"

Ron considered the question. "Suppose we get him to drink the Veritaserum potion? That's the best way!"

Harry shook his head. "Snape locked up his class so that no one would be able to steal any potions or ingredients. I doubt we can get through."

"There goes my brilliant idea," Ron pouted.

"There's got to be other ways, you know. Malfoy must really have got nothing to do with his time if he's making people from our House disappear just like-"

"Harry, I've got it!" Ron interrupted.

"What?"

"You can finally use your Invisibility Cloak now!"

"I don't get what you're saying."

"I'm saying we use that cloak of yours so that we could see what Malfoy is up to."

"But what if we get caught?"

"We won't."

"Are you sure about everything?"

"Very. I'm positive Malfoy is the evil genius behind what's happening right now. C'mon, we're doing everyone a favour by attempting to solve this."

Harry considered the dilemma, debating on whether he should participate with Ron on his plan, but reluctantly agreed. "Alright, I guess I'll do it."

Ron's face brightened. "You will? Good! Just remember this is for Hermione... and all the other victims he's put under his spell."

"Yes, yes, let's get on with this."

The red-haired boy beamed as he and his friend, for the rest of the morning, began to develop a strategy to catch their "suspect" in the act.

Draco, having finished his breakfast, got bored quickly and decided to go somewhere else. There were no classes as the teachers were trying to form a plan on how to protect the students and the school from any possible danger. He couldn't go to the Slytherin Tower since he would most likely not be welcomed there, so he just decided to walk around the halls for a while, and then retreat to his common room. He took one last glance at Hermione, who was laughing with her friends, and left the Great Hall.

He was thankful that no one bothered to come up to him, though there were still a couple. A few first-years had passed him by, giving him an odd look, but he just returned a scowl. Even though his reputation was practically gone, he still had his dignity and pride to hold. And he wouldn't let anything to shatter that.

He walked along an empty corridor, developing an eerie feeling but thought nothing of it. As he passed by a classroom, he heard hushed voices from within. He wanted to ignore them and move on, but he just had to satisfy his curiousity. He leaned against the door in order to listen in on the conversation.

"I-I just don't understand any of this! Can we not control it in any way?"

Draco gasped silently since he knew that familiar voice. It was Professor McGonagall.

"No, I'm afraid not." This one was easily recognizable; it was Professor Dumbledore.

_They must be talking about the disappearances. But why would they be talking in a classroom where anyone can hear them?_ Draco thought as he eavesdropped more on the discussion.

"Surely we could think of something?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"All the protection spells and charms we can think of can not prevent something like this, Minerva."

Another voice spoke up. "And there's no spell that can reverse any of this?"

"No, Severus. I'm afraid it may be up to the caster to decide."

"But Albus, you heard the children! They didn't see anybody else! I don't think any of the students would be able to do this," Professor McGonagall explained.

"Yes I know, and you're right, none of the students have the ability to do this. Even if they did, there's no reason why they would want to."

"Are you saying someone has intruded our school without us knowing?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yes, I believe so."

Draco's eyes widened at this news. Who could it be? He didn't see anyone he didn't recognize when Dean had disappeared.

"This is it. We have to inform everyone to stay in their own Towers and not leave unless we say so. Who knows where this intruder may be? We cannot just stand here Albus, we _have_ to do something!" McGonagall pleaded.

"I agree with you Minerva, but I'm afraid that you cannot spot this one."

"What do you mean?"

"I do not think that he, she, or it will be easily identifiable. They may be in a form of a disguise."

"What kind of disguise?" Snape asked.

"I do not know, or otherwise I would know where the culprit is, now would I?" Dumbledore replied.

"But how do we know who will be next?"

"Oh, a simple background checking will do," Dumbldore grinned slightly.

"Albus, there is no time for this. We _must_ do something!" Professor McGonagall said as she reached for the door.

Draco panicked since he would be caught eavesdropping on their conversation, but let out a huge sigh of relief when the Headmaster spoke up.

"We will, Minerva, we will. For now, we must come up with a better plan than scare the students more than they already are. I'm sure a few of those brave ones we know will put their thoughts into actions and figure out what is happening soon enough."

"What are you talking about?" Snape inquired.

"Do not worry. We will discuss more of this in my office. I have a sudden craving to eat one of Bertie's flavoured jelly beans. Care to join me?" Dumbledore asked contentedly.

Draco knew this must be the sign for him to leave the scene, far away as possible. He ran the way he came from; making sure that the teachers didn't see him. However, he didn't watch where he was going and bumped into someone.

"Watch it, Malfoy!"

Draco looked up and groaned when he saw the two people he least wanted to see.

"Just get out of my way then, Potter." He started to walk, but stopped when Harry spoke up again.

"We know what you're up to, so don't bother hiding anything."

"What are you bloody talking about," Draco scowled. He didn't have time for these kinds of conversations.

"Exactly what I said."

"And remember, we're watching out for Hermione, so you better not do anything funny," Ron added.

"I have better things to do with my time then to talk with you two crazy gits," the blonde Slytherin replied before he continued walking, leaving the other two standing in the hallway questioning his motives.

_I wonder what Dumbledore meant when he said that the intruder was in disguise. Should I know anything about this? And what background checking? That sounds strange_, Draco pondered as he made his way to the Heads' Tower.

"Madam Pomfrey, can I leave _now_?"

"No Mister Creevey, you are obviously traumatized by what happened to your brother that I think it's best if you stay here for a while."

"But I'm not sick or anything! If I go back, maybe he will be there!" Dennis hoped.

"I highly doubt it," Madam Pomfrey replied sadly.

"Why not? Where could've he gone to? I want to know!"

"I do too, but I can't explain any of these strange occurrences."

"Is he," Dennis paused as tears were forming in his eyes, "is he ever going to come back?"

"We can only hope."

A sudden small sound caused both the nurse and the patient to jump, afraid of what might have caused it.

"Now what was that? No one better be in here!" Madam Pomfrey asked as she searched the room for any possible sign that someone had disturbed her conversation with Dennis. However, she didn't spot anything out of the ordinary, and turned back to her patient.

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

* * *

**A/N: Ermm... i'm sorry if i left it at a cliffhanger, but i'm pretty sure u know what happens. i'm having so much writer's block on the next chapter..i seriously don't know what to say (::bangs head::). but i'm still gonna try and complete the story. ermm..don't know what else to say (i just woke up-- ::yawns::) except a thank you to my loyal reviewers :)**


	8. Not Again

Not Again

_"Yeah I know it hurts  
Yeah I know you're scared walking down the road that leads to who knows where  
__Don't you hang your head, don't you give up yet when courage starts to disappear  
I'll be right here"  
_

Madam Pomfrey had screamed so loud that she thought she had damaged her throat and burst her lungs. She couldn't believe that one minute Dennis was sitting before her, and in the next, he was gone. Just like that. If only she didn't get distracted...

"Madam Pomfrey, are you alright?" Harry asked, running into the room. He and Ron had heard her scream after their confrontation with Draco, and ran in to see what had happened.

However, she didn't answer him as she was too speechless to say anything. Instead, she raised a trembling finger to point at the one thing that she was upset about: the black rose that laid on Dennis's bed. No words needed to be exchanged to know how each person felt. They were all shocked about the fact that this had happened right under their very noses.

"S-should we tell Dumbledore?" Ron asked, finally breaking the silence.

"No need for that, Mister Weasley," a voice behind them replied. They all turned around and saw the very person they were hoping to receive some explanations from.

"P-professor! How did you get here so fast?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"I was not that far away when I heard someone screaming. I believe it was you, Poppy?"

"Y-yes," she replied, still pointing at the object on the bed with a trembling finger.

"Oh dear. I don't suppose it was Mister Creevey this time, was it?"

"Y-yes, it was. Albus, what are we to do? Students are disappearing from us and we can't stop it!"

"I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation for this. For now, I advise you two-"the Headmaster looked at Harry and Ron, "to return to your rooms and stay there while I make sense of this situation."

They both nodded in agreement and headed out of the Hospital Wing.

"I knew it!" Ron exclaimed once they were in a deserted hallway.

"Knew what?" Harry asked, still suffering from shock.

"I know Malfoy did this!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Remember when he bumped into you? It looked like he was running away from something. I think he went into the Hospital Wing, made Dennis disappear and then ran out. That's why he wasn't looking where he was going because he didn't want to be caught by Madam Pomfrey!"

"That actually makes sense."

"See! I told you!"

"But we didn't actually see him do it. All we saw was him running away-"

"From the scene of the crime!" Ron interrupted.

"But we don't have actual proof!" Harry argued.

"That's why we have to follow him!"

"Follow who?" a female voice asked.

"Hermione!" Harry and Ron both exclaimed, surprised that she was just behind them.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, erm... nothing," Ron said quickly.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "Then what are you two doing here? I thought both of you would be in the Gryffindor Tower."

"Well actually, we just came back from the Hospital Wing," Harry replied.

"What! Were you hurt?"

"No, we heard someone scream and we ran in there to see what was going on. We saw Madam Pomfrey pointing at this black rose on the bed."

"It wasn't Dennis, was it?"

The two boys nodded sadly to her question. How could this have happened? It was only yesterday that the youngest Creevey brother announced that his brother went missing, and now he's gone as well. What could be causing this?

"Why? How... how..."

"I think that-"Ron got cut off when Harry jabbed in the elbow.

"Think what?"

"Erm... it's just that I think you should be careful, Hermione."

"Why would you say that?"

"No reason. I just wanted to say it."

"Oh. Well, thanks for your concern but I can take care of myself. I've got to go back to my room and I think you should too. I'm starting to get a creepy feeling walking down these hallways since they are so deserted. I'll see you guys later," Hermione said and started to walk away.

"Alright, bye," the other two boys replied.

Once she was out of sight, Ron spoke up again. "We should've went with her, or at least make her come with us so that she wouldn't have to be alone."

"You heard what she said; she can take care of herself."

"But Malfoy-"

"Hermione's a smart girl. I'm sure if he tries one move on her, she could without a doubt, cast any curse she could think of to get him away from her. Let's just go and see if we could try to figure this whole thing out. Hermione was right, you know."

"About what?"

"These hallways. I'm starting to get an eerie feeling too," Harry replied as they both made their way back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Draco was in his own room, lying on his bed and thinking about the events that had occurred in the last few days. What could they all mean? Did they have a connection with his dreams? He had noticed that after every disappearance, one of his nightmares seemed to have followed. Could they reveal some sort of answer to help him solve who's doing this? He remembered what Dumbledore had said about the victims.

_A simple background checking will do_.

But what could that possibly mean? It could be a clue but he couldn't believe why the old coot had to give vague answers on such an important matter. What background checking could he have meant? All of the victims so far were Gryffindor males. So did that mean all the recent attacks are suppose to threaten the Gryffindor House? Who could be against the Gryffindors? Draco cursed himself for asking such a stupid question. Of course it was the Slytherins, but he knew that none of them had the ability to do any of the vanishings. He doubted they even had the intelligence for it, and they wouldn't waste their time on such a thing.

"Who else could it be?" he asked himself out loud. He was sure the teachers weren't behind it, so that left... absolutely nobody. This was pathetic; all these questions were leading him to nowhere. But he had remembered he heard Dumbledore say to the other teachers: "_They may be in a form of a disguise_." He also recalled Dennis explaining that he saw something small and dark when Colin vanished. What could that be?

"This is so stupid!" Draco exclaimed in frustration since he wouldn't be able to solve anything if he kept on asking himself questions. He gathered up all the clues in his head: the victims are Gryffindors, all males, the intruder is in disguise, and he or she would always leave behind a black rose. However, he couldn't think of anything else that could help connect everything together.

_Maybe I should just rest for a while_, he thought but decided against it. He didn't want to go through any of his nightmares again, especially if he kept on waking up sweating from the whole ordeal. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his eyes open.

_But it won't hurt to simply rest my eyes for a few minutes_, he thought to himself before he closed his eyelids. Once he did, scenes from his previous nightmares came into his memory.

_His fingers touching blood from the ground – blood from an unknown corpse. Darkness was surrounding him everywhere. A stranger's cold voice, which gave Draco the feeling that he wanted him dead. And of course, the one he cares the most about was in the middle of it all. He can see flashes of green light coming at him, and he can hear Hermione screaming out his name. What was happening? He suddenly realized the answer, but it was too late as he was already falling to the ground. He was dead._

Draco woke up gasping for air, and sweating through his clothes. He really didn't want to go through that again, but how could he not? Everytime he went to sleep, even for a little while, his nightmares come back to haunt him.

"Why me?" he asked himself despairingly as he tried to get up from his bed. His clothes seemed to be all damp from his sweat, so he decided to search through his drawers to search for any clean ones. As he did, he came upon something peculiar and he felt a rush of immense relief.

_Father's letter! How could I have forgotten?_ he thought to himself as he rapidly tore open the envelope to read the letter. However, before he was able to read the first sentence, a knock on his bedroom door startled him. He quickly stuffed the letter back to where he found it and went to open the door to find Hermione standing in the entrance.

"Hey, I was just wondering if you were here," she said.

"Well, you can clearly see that I am," he smirked.

"I know that now," she said, rolling her eyes.

"What's the matter?" he asked when he noticed a bit of concern on her face.

"I found out that Dennis disappeared this morning. Did you know?"

"He d-disappeared?" Draco asked, not quite believing that fact. So that was the reason for his recent dream, if he could call it that. But why was it only a flashback this time, and not a real nightmare like the others?

"Yeah, I heard it from Harry and Ron. Can you believe all of this? I'm so scared to think who will be next."

Dumbledore's words came into Draco's mind, but he didn't want to tell Hermione about the piece of information he found out. "Maybe it'll all be over before we know it. I'm sure someone will find out what's going on and stop it."

He promised himself that, that someone would be him.  
  
----

"My lord."

"Have you done the deed for today?" the dark man asked.

"Yes, but there are still a few more. I will get to them as soon as I can," the other man explained.

"Good, you have done this faster than I expected."

"I was provided with reliable information from excellent sources, my lord."

"Yes, I know," the taller man smiled in satisfaction.

"What do you have in store for the ones I've caught?"

"It's not a matter you should know. However, if you do finish your task, I may reconsider your punishment."

"Oh, thank you, my lord! I know you will be very pleased with my job."

"Yes, well I'll see about that. Now go."

"Yes, my lord," the shorter man obeyed, leaving his master alone.

"Everything is taking place. Soon, everyone will regret the day they doubted me," the dark man said to himself, filling the room with his harsh laughter.

* * *

**A/N: Ugh...i hate this chapter. It totally killed me to write and personally, i think it sucks. lol. I'm really sorry about that. Anyway, i think i'll be writing things a bit more faster, since there's nothing to say in-between. Well, thank you guys for the reviews and if you think this chapter sucked (like i do), tell me :). Some of you guys are funny..hehehe :D**


	9. Crucial Point

**EDIT: i made a HUGE mistake, and had to change some things. I'm really sorry about that..i hate making mistakes, and apparently, i don't take them well. Hope things are clearer, otherwise, you have my permission to throw tomatoes at me. Sometimes I really have to check where my brain is at.**

* * *

Crucial Point

"_Knowing it might seem strange..._

_Love came over me_

_Feeling the luck has changed_

_Do you want me, like I want you?"_

It was the next day and the news that Dennis Creevey had disappeared spread through the school very quickly. The Gryffindor House was now very alarmed that they were the victims of this whole ordeal. Most cowered in their rooms while others sent owls to their parents saying that they want to return home where they can be with their family. The Slytherins, on the other hand, could care less of everything that was happening. They were glad that they weren't the targets, and if they weren't involved, it didn't matter to them. Meanwhile, the teachers were doing everything in their power to find the intruder and prevent him or her from taking another one of their students.

"Harry, I think this has gone too far! They're taking us out one by one!" Ron exclaimed. They were walking towards their common room after grabbing a couple of plates of food to satisfy their growling stomachs.

"Yeah, I know," Harry agreed. "That's why we must follow Malfoy today and catch him before he goes any further."

"That's what I was thinking, but what if he's in his room? We don't have the password to get through."

"I'll think of something."

Just then, a scream erupted right behind them, which interrupted their conversation and made the two boys look at who caused it.

"What's wrong, Lavender?" Harry asked.

"L-look!" the girl said, shoving the newspaper she was reading to his face.

"Strange Disappearances Occurring: Reason Unknown," he read off the headlines.

"It's not happening only in Hogwarts; it's everywhere!" Lavender screamed.

"You think it's Malfoy?" Ron whispered to Harry.

The other boy ignored his question and read the rest of the article.

"_Vanishings have been occurring throughout London and other cities around the world. Eyewitnesses described the victims as disappearing into thin air, leaving behind a mysterious black rose. Reason behind these incidents and this particular flower is still in question. A wife of one of the victims described her most unfortunate case._

'_It was in the middle of the night, and we were just sleeping. At around 3am, I woke up because I was feeling thirsty. When I looked over at my husband, he wasn't there! I flipped over the sheets, and all I saw was a black rose. I figured he just left it there for me, but he didn't even leave a note. I didn't know where he would be at 3am in the morning since he never leaves my side! I heard another one of my friends had gone missing, and I just knew something was wrong! My husband has been gone for several days now, and I want to know where he could be!' the woman, also known as Mrs. Glystum, explained._

_When asked for an explanation on these strange occurrences, the Ministry of Magic refused to answer, but suggested that if anybody witnesses the vanishings, please contact emergency services at once."_

"I want my mum!" Lavender cried out and ran away. The two boys guessed she might've went to the Owlery to send a plea to her parents for her to return home, or hid in the Gryffindor Tower like the others.

"Me too," Ron muttered sheepishly.

"Don't worry, we'll find whoever is doing this and stop them before another person will be taken," Harry reassured.

"What about Malfoy? What are we going to do about him?"

"We'll still follow him since he might be the one that's behind the school attacks. Who knows, maybe his good-for-nothing father actually planned all of this."

"But why the black rose? Couldn't they have used something else less..." Ron paused to find the correct word, "feminine?"

Harry would've laughed at the way he said it, but right now wasn't a good time. "I don't know, maybe it's supposed to have some sort of meaning to it."

"It does."

They turned around to see who had responded, and faced Justin Finch-Fletchley.

"So?" Ron pressured for an answer, "What does it mean?"

"Death."

* * *

"Almost no one is walking along these corridors anymore. Doesn't it seem just so frightening and secluded?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm? Yeah," Draco agreed. They were walking along the halls to check for anything unusual, but Draco's mind was focused on something else – his father's letter.

"Isn't it strange? I mean, Hogwarts has never been through this before."

"Yeah." _What could Father have possibly wanted to say?_

"With the disappearances and all, everything is just out of order."

"Yeah." _Could Father have any connection with all of this?_

"Even the teachers don't have answers. That's just not right."

"Yeah." _It could be possible, but for what reason?_

"What do you think? You've been awfully quiet."

"Yeah." _He's Voldemort's right-hand man, so there must be some sort of explanation of why people are suddenly vanishing._

"You're not even listening to me, are you?" Hermione asked, a bit annoyed that she was being ignored.

"Yeah." _Voldemort hates Hogwarts, especially since Potter is here._

"You're a stupid, slimy, ugly scum-bag, you know that?" the brunette teased.

"Yeah." _But could he have wanted something from me?_

"Harry told me he loved me."

"Yeah." _Maybe Father wanted me to join his side?_

"Your hair's on fire."

"Yeah." _That could be it, but – wait... what did she say??_

"My hair's WHAT?!" Draco questioned loudly.

Hermione laughed as he fumbled to find his wand, desperately searching through his robes.

"Wait!" she paused for air but laughed again at the confused expression on his face.

"For crying out loud, woman! Stop that and help me!"

His demand was of no use since it only made her laugh even more.

"Where's my wand when you need it!"

"Wait!" she yelled out, taking in a deep breath of air. "I was only joking."

"What?!"

"You weren't listening to a word I was saying, and apparently, that was the only thing to get your attention."

"Oh Merlin," Draco sighed in relief. "Just don't do that again. My hair is NOT something you should joke about."

"Alright! I'm sorry."

"You know I WILL get you back for that later," he said, putting his arm around Hermione's waist, "But for now, what were we talking about?"

* * *

"No way."

"Yes way."

"That little thing-"

"Is the bearer of bad news."

"But how would you know?"

"Black is usually associated with death," Justin informed.

"So could it mean-"Ron inquired.

"They might be dead already," Justin paused. "Or there may be deaths in the future."

"We should do something quick," Harry whispered to Ron, and ran as fast as he could to retrieve his special cloak.

"What are you two doing?"

"We're going to stop whoever's doing this," the red-headed boy responded.

"So you figured out everything?"

"Maybe, but we don't have time! He may be fast in Quidditch, but he's no good in running!" Ron exclaimed.

"What is he trying to do?" Justin asked.

"Um... nothing. It's, uh, top secret," he muttered. As soon as he saw Harry in the distance, running back with the cloak in his hand, he quickly spoke to Justin. "Thanks for the information, mate, but we've got to get going. A friend may be in need."

"Good luck," Justin muttered as he watched the two boys run down the halls frantically.

Throwing the Invisibility Cloak over them, Harry and Ron ran down to the direction of the Heads' Tower to find Hermione. The journey there wasn't easy of course; the two boys kept bumping into each other since the cloak wasn't very large and they were overgrown teenagers. However, they arrived at their destination all in one piece.

"So, now what?" Ron asked. They were standing before a large portrait of a knight, and were figuring out how to get in.

"I don't know. We could try guessing their password."

"Like what?"

"Butterbeer?"

Nothing happened.

"Lizard's tails?"

"Try something else," Harry said.

"Fortuna major."

"Vanilla fresh."

"Wattlebird."

"Fairy wings."

"Pig snout."

"Pig snout?" Harry asked.

"I'm just trying anything that I can come up with!" Ron said defensively.

"Will you two just give up already!" the knight in the portrait shouted.

"Not until we get in!"

"Shh, Ron. I think they're coming," Harry whispered.

"Who?" the red-headed boy asked, but saw just in time to see the two people that they were looking for coming their way.

"That was the longest walk I've ever done," Draco complained.

"Stop your whining, it wasn't that much," Hermione argued.

"We could've taken the shortcuts! I don't know why you insisted on taking the long way."

"It's fun!" Hermione giggled and turned to the portrait. "Fizzing Whizbees."

"So THAT'S what it was!" Ron whispered.

"Be quiet or they'll hear you! C'mon let's go!" Harry muttered as they quickly followed the couple into their common room.

"You know, I wish that we didn't have to go through all of this. We're missing out on so much work," Hermione said, making herself comfortable on the couch.

"Is that all you think about? School? Where's all the excitement in your life?" Draco asked with sarcasm.

"School IS my excitement. You could learn so much!"

"That's our Hermione," Ron whispered, causing Harry to jab in the elbow to shut him up.

"Did you hear something?" the blonde Slytherin asked, looking around the room.

"No, why?"

"Never mind."

"You know, I've been thinking-"

"That's all you ever do," Draco teased.

Hermione gave him one of her looks but continued on. "I've been thinking about the disappearances lately and-"

"Can we not talk about that?"

"See, I knew it. He's behind all of this," Ron muttered.

"Shut up, Ron! They'll hear you!" Harry whispered back.

"There it is again! Did you hear that?" Draco asked, curiousity taking all over him.

"Maybe it's all in your head," Hermione replied but had a suspicious expression on her face. "So as I was saying, I was thinking about the disappearances and I think I've figured out something."

"What?"

"That Malfoy did it," Ron whispered.

"There's something that each of the victims have in common, and I think it might be crucial to the reason why the person might be doing this."

Draco's ears perked up. "And what's that?"

"They all are-"

She never got to finish her sentence.

"Hermione!!" the three boys screamed as they looked at the sight before them in fear.

**A/N: Hmm..I think my whole story's getting pretty obvious, huh? After reading the reviews, some of you guessed it right on the dot! Oh, well :). Ermm..if there was anything confusing, just tell me. I won't be updating until next week, since I'll be on a 3-day trip this weekend right before school starts (booo!) but I'll post up the next chapter as soon as I can. But in the meantime, thank you to everyone who took the time to review my story! :D**


	10. Crystal Clear

Crystal Clear

"'_Cause I'm broken when I'm open_

_And I don't feel like I'm strong enough_

'_cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away"_

"Hermione!!" the three boys screamed as they watched the sight before them in horror. She was disappearing before their very eyes and they were clueless as to how to save her. Before they knew it, she was completely gone, leaving behind a black rose as a memory. The boys were still frozen to their places, mouths wide open and unable to process what had just happened.

Ron was the first to break out of the trance, throwing the Invisibility Cloak off of himself and completely lunging his whole body on the unsuspecting Draco, and attacking him with all of his might.

"WHAT... DID... YOU... DO... TO... HERMIONE!!" he screamed as he started punching the poor boy in between words.

"WHERE IN HELL DID YOU COME FROM?!" the confused but furious Draco screamed back as he tried to control the situation. Since he was much stronger than Ron, it was very easy to throw him off in just one push.

"I SAW WHAT YOU DID TO HER!! GET HER BACK, YOU SON OF A-"

"You better watch what you say, Weasley! You have absolutely no clue what you're talking about!"

Harry, who fully emerged from his cloak, spoke up. "We've caught you in the act, Malfoy. We saw what you did to her, so you better get her back right now."

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! WHERE IN BLOODY HELL DID YOU TWO COME FROM?!"

"That's none of your business! What have you done to Hermione!" Harry yelled in frustration.

"I TOLD you, I haven't done anything! I'm just as surprised as you are, and I would do whatever it would take to get her back! Can't you two idiots get that through your bloody, thick heads?!" Draco shouted. "Besides, what are you doing here! This is strictly the _Heads_' Tower, and you two are obviously not the Head Boy and Girl!"

The two boys remained silent but glared dangerously at their enemy. They didn't want to confess that they were actually spying on Draco, and they were more than angry that they were wasting time arguing instead of saving Hermione.

"I'm going to get Dumbledore. You," Harry pointed his finger at Draco, "better watch your back. We're going to get you for this."

He then walked out of the common room with Ron following behind, who had a fierce expression on his face. Once they were out of Draco's view, Ron exploded with anger.

"I can't believe you let him get away!" he exclaimed, causing his voice to echo throughout the halls.

"I'm not. I'm just going to get Dumbledore and tell him that we know who's actually behind all of this. Then, the punishment for Malfoy would be up to the Headmaster. Hopefully, he goes to Azkaban or something equally cruel," Harry replied.

"Good idea. But-"

"What?"

"I could've still pummeled the guy until he wished he never existed."

Harry doubted that fact since Draco had much more strength than Ron, but he didn't want to break the news. "Whatever you say, Ron."

They finally arrived in front of Dumbledore's office not long after, but had no idea how to get to him since they didn't know what the password was. It was obvious that it would be a name of a sweet, but they had no idea which one.

"What should we do? We have no time! Hermione could be in trouble, Malfoy could be out terrorizing half of the school, and WE'RE JUST STANDING OUT HERE WAITING FOR NOBODY!!" Ron panicked.

"Stop yelling, and let me concentrate! There's got to be a way in!" Harry replied. He was becoming increasingly frustrated by the minute since he had no idea of how to save Hermione, and he couldn't get to the one person who could help him.

"Why can't we just go get Malfoy and stop him before he goes any further?"

"Yes, but-"

"WE'RE WASTING TIME HERE!!"

"I know, but-"

"LET'S JUST GO AND GET THAT STUPID GIT! WHO KNOWS WHAT HE'LL DO NE-"

Ron was immediately silenced when Harry's hand covered his mouth to avoid any further noise.

"Shh! I think someone's coming!" Harry whispered, and led his friend behind one of the statues that was beside Dumbledore's entrance. Indeed, they heard some sort of strange noise coming down the hallway, but had no idea what caused it.

"What do you think it is?" Ron asked, terrified and visibly shaking.

"I-I think..." Harry listened harder to the noise that seemed to be coming closer and closer. "I think it could be someone crying."

He came out of his hiding spot, and tried to see if he was right but Ron had grabbed him by the arms to stop him from going anywhere.

"Where are you going? You're just going to leave me here alone?"

"I'm only checking to see who it is. I'll be right back. For Merlin's sake Ron, I think you could take care of yourself without me having to be there for you."

"But, but-"

Before Ron could finish his sentence, Harry walked off in a hurry, not wanting to be involved in the conversation with him anymore. He didn't have to walk far before he knew he was correct about the noise; someone was undeniably crying out loud, and it seemed to be a girl. He took a few steps further, and could now see a figure leaning against the wall with her head in her hands, weeping.

"W-who's there?" Harry asked softly, not wanting to scare the girl.

Realizing that someone was there, she stopped sobbing as much and looked up, revealing a face full of tears. He immediately recognized her as one of the Hufflepuff students – Hannah Abbott. The only question was why was she acting this way?

"H-hannah? Is that you? What's wrong?"

"Nobody c-can help me! I can't f-find the H-headmaster!" she cried out.

"Dumbledore? Why do you need to find him?"

"I-I-I..." Hannah took a deep breath before continuing, "I saw Justin disappear right before me!"

"He what?!" Harry questioned, not quite believing it.

"He disappeared! Poof, gone like that!"

_It must be Malfoy_, Harry thought. _It just has to be him._

"Did you see anyone else there?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," Hannah replied through her tears. "I've also heard that a few Ravenclaws had suffered the same fate as well. That's why I was crying; everything is just so chaotic and there's nothing we could do about it! Isn't there anything we could do to prevent this?"

_Yeah, kill Malfoy_, Harry told himself. "I don't really know."

"And you know what's worse? All of the Slytherins are still intact. I bet they're laughing in their common rooms right now, and saying how we deserved this," the girl said.

_Yeah, especially since they planned it all_, Harry thought. "Look, I'm trying to find Dumbledore too. I saw Hermione disappeared."

"Oh Merlin. I-I..."

"Let's just go find him, okay?" he said, and then led Hannah to the spot where he left Ron. However, when he got there, the red-headed boy was nowhere in sight.

_Oh no, Malfoy couldn't have gotten to him, could he?_ Harry asked himself. He had already lost one friend; he didn't want to lose another, but he was afraid he did.

"Malfoy sure works fast," he said softly.

"What was that?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Ron? Ron, where are you?!" Harry cried out, hoping to see his best friend come out of his hiding place.

But he didn't.

"RON!!!" he screamed as he tried to look for him.

"You don't need to yell, mate."

At the sound of that familiar voice, Harry turned to Dumbledore's entrance to his office, and sure enough, his friend was standing there.

"Ron!" Harry cried happily. "I thought you were gone!"

"No, I wasn't. Actually, Dumbledore found me crouching behind his statue and asked me to come in to see what was the matter. I told him everything, but then I heard you call out my name, so I came out here to get you," Ron turned to the girl who was behind Harry, "Hannah? So you were the one who was making all that racket?"

The girl ignored him, and instead walked past him into Dumbledore's office.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Ron inquired.

Harry only rolled his eyes, and followed her. He wanted to know what was happening, and he sure hoped that the Headmaster can help him.

----

"Is that all, Ms. Abbott?"

"Yes, sir," Hannah replied. She had just finished telling her story of what happened to Dumbledore, and was now waiting for his response.

"I see."

"Sir, may I say something?" Harry asked.

"Most certainly, Mister Potter."

"I think both me and Ron have figured out who's actually behind all of the vanishings here in school."

"Oh? And who, may I ask, is it?"

Harry glanced at Ron, who gave a slight nod, and continued on. "Malfoy."

"Mister Malfoy? And why do you believe it is him?"

"Well, at first, the attacks were mainly directed at Gryffindor. Malfoy's the leader of the Slytherin House, who hates us the most, and we thought he might be wanting some sort of House War. But now, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are equally suffering as well, and we think that's all part of his plan to help deteriorate every House except his own, so that the Slytherins would remain the most powerful."

"How would you explain then, the occurrences that have happened outside of Hogwarts?"

"I..." Harry started to say but stopped himself. He actually didn't know the answer to that. "I don't know, sir."

"Strange coincidence, maybe?" Ron asked.

"I'm afraid not, Mister Weasley."

"Sir, do you know what's happening?" Hannah asked.

"I'm trying to make sense of the situation, and provide safety for my students," he paused for a few seconds, "I'm afraid I have some work to do, so I cannot keep you three here. I urge you all to go back to your Towers, and stay there until further notice. Understood?"

They all nodded and began to leave when Dumbledore spoke up again.

"Mister Potter and Mister Weasley, would you stay behind for a few minutes?"

The two boys stopped in their places, and turned back around, giving each other confused glances as to what the Headmaster would want to say to them.

Once Hannah left, Dumbledore continued. "I know you have lost a very good friend, but I do not suggest you both to meddle with things you do not know. However, if you really want to know the reason behind these disappearances, I suggest you look harder at what each of the victims have in common. You may go."

"Yes, sir," they both said simultaneously and left the room.

"What was that about?" Ron asked.

"I don't know," Harry replied but was already deep in thought at what Dumbledore said.

----

What in hell just happened?

One minute, Draco was talking with Hermione, and the next he was being punched by two people who came out of nowhere. He absolutely couldn't get over the shock that Hermione was one of the latest victims, and he didn't know what to do. He had nothing to do with making her disappear, contrary to what Harry and Ron believes. But he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he did have something to do with it. He just couldn't figure out what it was.

Why would Hermione be one of the people who had to disappear? Was anyone against her in that way? He knew the Slytherins would be opposed to her but they didn't have the power to do this. The only one who did though, was the one he dreaded the most. But what could possibly be the reason to make her vanish to who knows where?

_Because she's not a pureblood._

Of course, that could be it! But were all the other victims the same? Did they have the same background as she did? He didn't know, but he had to find out... and he knew how.

Draco went up to his room, and searched all over his drawers for that letter he's been hiding for a long time now. It might be of some help; it might be not, but he had to know. After rummaging through dirty clothes that he meant to clean for some time now, he finally found it. He held the letter in his trembling hands, and began to read the content; his eyes going from left to right, reading every single word on that paper. In that letter, it read:

_Dear Son,_

_This is the second time I've had to write you. Why you did not respond to my first, I do not know, but I expect that you will answer my letters promptly each time. What I have to say is of great importance to you, me, and the reputation of this family. I do hope you keep your honour to our family, and also your loyalty to the Dark Lord. He is gaining strength after a lengthy recovery period and had to have a few sacrifices, but that is absolutely perfect for the new plan. I do not want to mention it in great detail but I do expect you to participate. You can expect great rewards for this family when you join the dark side, as you already know. I've already had everything sorted out, so the next time I see you, we can go according to plans. All I can say about it for now is that we can finally have the power to remove those of lower statuses than us. You better make the right choices, boy._

_Lucius_

After reading the letter, everything was beginning to come clear. It was so obvious; why didn't he think of it before? Now all Draco needs to figure out is how to save Hermione and all the other victims, and any further details of this "plan". He didn't want to wait if he writes back to his father using his owl. No... he has to find a faster way.

Yes, of course, he knew what he had to do now.

* * *

**A/N: I'm back! I had an amazing time visiting Quebec (Canada), i seriously didn't want to leave! It's a beautiful place to visit, so if you've never went there before, you should!! I personally recommend Mt. Tremblant, and the outskirts of Quebec City..i love going on the mountains for hiking. It's way better than living in Hogtown (aka Toronto) :P.. lol anywho, thanx guys for your reviews, and i hope this chapter's ok. :)**


	11. Trapped

Trapped

"_Not much to the life I live_

_Same four walls_

_I have nothing left to give_

_Please take it all away..._

_Same four walls"_

Can anyone live with this sort of pain? It would be nearly impossible. Nothing could ever compare to the throbbing pain of the head in addition to the extreme soreness of the rest of the body. The reason of why this was happening was still in question.

Hermione tried to open her eyes but it took much effort to actually accomplish the task. When she finally did, her sight was very blurry. Questions formed in her mind right away of the current situation: _where_ was she? W_hy_ was she there? W_ho_ was responsible for this? W_hat_ could have caused this intense pain that she was experiencing? _Where_ was Draco? She had vaguely remembered talking to him, and suspecting that someone was listening in on their conversation before everything turned black. She had no knowledge of the events that occurred after since she may have been unconscious, but she couldn't be sure of that fact.

She tried to move her arms and legs but it seemed as if they were tied together by perhaps, the Incarcerous spell. _Great, I can't even get up_, she thought irritably. She felt a rush of hopelessness since she had no idea where she was due to poor visibility, and the fact that she couldn't move around. She wanted to know what was going on; she was always the one that knew the answers to everything but the current situation that she was in now scared her since she didn't know what was going to happen. But then again, there _must_ be a reason as to why she's here. Could it be, perhaps, that she's the latest victim to disappear?

_That could be a possibility_, she answered herself. After all, she realized that all of the students who vanished were, after all, from the same heritage as she was. So it was no doubt that she would experience this sooner or later. But would the others be in the same situation as she was? She wanted to know, but she couldn't.

Where was Draco? She wanted him to be by her side, to feel that warmth and protection she received whenever she was around him but he was nowhere with her. He was probably back at Hogwarts trying to find her, while she was suffering somewhere far from him. She couldn't even get through her thoughts without tears clouding in her eyes, and threatening to drop.

All of a sudden, some sort of light pierced through the darkness of the room. Hermione couldn't see where it was coming from, and instead had to squint her eyes to try and get a better vision. But it wasn't helping. The light faded as quickly as it came, and left her disappointed. Could it have been a sign? Magic, maybe? Her ears picked up some sort of noise that was slowly approaching her; it was undoubtedly someone's footsteps, but who it belonged to, was a mystery to her.

"W-who's t-there?" she somehow managed to say through her extremely dry throat.

Nothing but silence answered her. She could hear the footsteps coming closer and closer, and the person's presence looming over her.

"I-I said, w-who's t-there?" she asked again.

However, they didn't answer her. Instead, all she heard was the person muttering something, and feeling the pressure around her wrists gone.

"Eat, girl," the voice demanded, placing a plate of food in Hermione's hands. She hesitated for a while, considering whether or not she should accept it. This uncertainty only caused the person before her to laugh teasingly.

"Don't worry; you won't be killed that easily and effortlessly," the voice said before walking away.

When the light reappeared, Hermione realized that it must be coming from outside of the room. She could now distinctly hear the sound of the door open and close, but the question of exactly _where_ she was, was still in her mind. She sat, once again, in the darkness inquiring who would have held her captive. The voice undeniably belonged to a woman, but who could it be?

She didn't know, but right now, she wanted to satisfy that growling stomach of hers. After more careful consideration of whether to eat what was on her plate, she just decided to go ahead with it. It didn't taste as bad as she thought; it very was much like bread. After a few small bites, she just plowed through her food. She smiled inwardly since she was acting very much like Ron whenever he was eating a meal.

_I miss my friends so much. I wish Draco was with me... where could they all be?_ she thought sadly as she quietly ate.

The tears that were threatening to escape from her eyes finally dropped.

----

He had to do this; there was no other way. He knew what he was doing was right, regardless of the consequences he may have to face – and there will definitely be some. But he had to face them, and he had to end this.

He just hoped she would forgive him.

It was a long journey but Draco got there as fast as he could. He arrived at his Manor, hoping to find answers to this whole mystery from the one person he dreaded the most – his father. He knew Lucius must be in his office since he was there most of the time, so that was the first place Draco decided to search. He arrived at the designation, and knocked on the wooden door. His father hated being distracted from his work, which was why Draco made very little noise in order to prevent his difficult behaviour.

"Come in."

Draco obeyed and opened the door slightly. It was very dark; the only source of light was the crackling fireplace. Apparently his father was facing it, his back towards Draco so he didn't know that his own son was standing not so far behind him.

"What is your business?" Lucius asked. One of the lessons that Draco learned was never to speak unless his father asked him first.

"Father."

Surprised, Lucius turned around and faced his son. He had expected his wife to answer, or even one of his house elves, but not his son.

"What are you doing here? Do you not have school to attend?"

"Yes, but there are more urgent matters."

"Such as?"

"Your letter."

Lucius smirked. This was going very well indeed.

"I see you've finally decided to respond? Or better yet, see me in person?"

"Yes, but what's this plan of the Dark Lord's you say?"

"Ah, I do not think it's best to discuss it right now."

"Why not?" Draco came down to his Manor for a reason, so he would be more than frustrated if he didn't get any answers immediately.

"Recent..." Lucius paused, "developments have come to my attention."

"What are you saying?"

"I've heard you have a new love interest at school. Is that true?"

Draco panicked. Who could've told his father about his relationship with Hermione? Of course, everyone at school knew about it but could the news have traveled all the way to his father's ears?

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied. He decided that he can't let his father know the truth; he just couldn't take what his father would do to him if he knew.

"Really?" Lucius asked, not quite believing what Draco said. "So when I was told that my son was showing affections for a _mudblood_, it was all just a lie?"

What should he say?

"Yes."

Lucius's eyes narrowed, which apparently meant that he didn't quite believe it. How could Draco make his father believe his lie so that he could continue on with what he was here for?

"I would never get myself involved with someone who doesn't deserve to live, Father." He knew it was a terrible thing to say and he immediately regretted it, but was there any other way?

Lucius remained silent, which made Draco more tensed. If his father ever knew he was telling a lie, he would have to suffer terribly. According to his father, having a relationship with someone who was muggle-born would be the worst act he could ever commit – far worse than murdering others.

"You better not be misleading me, boy."

"No, Father, I'm not. Whoever made up such a preposterous rumour about me should mind their own business and die."

"Now, now, no need to put a curse upon anyone," Lucius stated. Draco wanted to roll his eyes since that sentence was the most ironic thing he had ever heard. "I merely asked you a question."

"Yes, Father. But can I ask something?"

"What is it," Lucius coldly asked.

"What are the plans that you have for me?"

"You are to join the dark side. There may be a few tasks that will be required of you but they should be considered seriously since your results will reflect how much loyalty you have for the Dark Lord. Altogether, I expect you to do well on this as it will greatly improve our status."

"What tasks will there be?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Draco considered this for a moment, but came to his final decision in no time.

"I'll join you."

His father smirked, proud that his son will continue this journey with him.

'Good. Preparations will be made and-"

_Knock. Knock._

"Who is it?!" Lucius demanded, angry that he was interrupted.

"I'm just here to inform you that – oh Draco, what are you doing here?" Narcissa inquired, a bit surprised.

"Mother," he acknowledged her. "Business with Father, that's all."

She nodded, but turned back to her husband. "I took care of it."

Draco, who was confused by his mother's words, wanted to question what she was talking about but was silenced when Lucius spoke up.

"Good. If there's anything else, I will tell you. For now, just go."

She obeyed and left the room, glancing shortly at her son before closing the door of the office.

"What was she talking about, Father?"

"It is no business of yours to mind the conversations between me and your mother."

"Yes, Father." It must be something big; he had to know what it was.

"Although..." Lucius pondered for awhile, "I must show you something."

This could be it; this could be what he was waiting for.

"What is it?"

"Just come with me," Lucius demanded, ignoring the question. He led Draco out of the office and down to an area of the house Draco has never seen before. They entered a room that was located at the far end of the hallway they were walking in, and went through a series of magically-cast doors and rooms that were designed specifically for only the user to enter. Draco noticed how his father had to mutter a spell several times in order for them to go into the next room. When they had finally reached the desired destination, Lucius stopped in his tracks, causing Draco to mindlessly bump into his father.

"You swear that everything you had just told me in my office was true?"

"Yes, Father, everything."

Lucius then muttered a spell, which seemed more complex than the others he had used, and touched the doorknob with his wand. All of a sudden, golden snakes came out of the knob and outlined the door with their tails but dissolved into each other when they collided. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and just when Draco became increasingly impatient, the door glistened magnificent colours of gold and green (for black was everywhere in the house) and unlocked itself.

"Open this door. In the room will be one of your tasks."

Eagerly, and nervously, Draco obeyed his father. It was very dark, much like the rest of the rooms in his manor, but it had an odd eerie feeling. He squinted his eyes for any sign of what his father said, and rested on something that was lying in the far corner of the room.

He gasped at the sight, horrified that this was what he had to do; what he had to take care of.

_What have I done?_

* * *

**School is absolute torture. Someone save me.**

**(Random comment, sorry)**


	12. Hits and Misses

Hits and Misses

"_Alone, I walk beside myself_

_Alone, you put me on your shelf_

_Alone, with my insanity_

_Alone, no one to blame but me"_

"What do you think he was trying to tell us?"

"Who?" Ron asked curiously.

"Dumbledore. What could each of the victims possibly have in common?"Harry inquired.

"Well, I figured it was just against all the boys not in the Slytherin House, but ever since..." he paused, "well, I don't know anymore."

"I don't think it's that simple."

"Then what do you think?"

"Well, just figure this out. Why do you think none of the Slytherins haven't disappeared?"

"Because they're a bunch of stupid, ugly-"

"Ron. Seriously, we should've figured this out earlier! Think harder."

The red-headed Gryffindor considered the situation for a moment. What could the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw Houses all have that the Slytherin House didn't have?

"Well let's see, they're jealous because we have intelligence, loyalty, courage, skills, looks-"

"I'm serious, Ron."

"Alright, alright. So what is it?"

"Take Seamus, for example. Remember his background? He told me one time his father was a muggle, which makes him a muggleborn."

Ron nodded slowly in agreement, which urged Harry to continue on.

"Dean also told me that he's a muggleborn, but I heard somewhere that his biological father left his family in order to protect them from the Death Eaters."

Ron's eyes widened in shock. "What happened to him?"

"He got killed when he refused to join them."

"I never knew that," Ron said softly, "But what about the two Gryffindor brothers, Colin and Dennis?"

"I don't know much about them, but I heard that their father is a muggle milkman."

"So all of the victims are muggleborns, including those people who were from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw House?"

"I think so."

"But who could be doing this?"

Harry slightly touched the scar on his forehead. "Who else?"

"But it hasn't been hurting lately."

"I know, that's what's weird. If he has his powers back or is even close to me, I should know by now, and the whole disappearing thing wouldn't be such a surprise. But nothing happened."

"Not even a bit of pain?"

"No. No warning at all."

"But why's that?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's still very weak, and far away from me, but then that would mean someone else would be doing all of this."

"Yeah, someone else could be doing his dirtywork!"

"But the question is, who?"

"Well, whoever it is must be powerful as well to be planning and doing all this. It could be one of the Death Eaters."

"Yeah, we just have to figure out which one."

----

Draco knew it, but he was hoping it won't come true. He wished it didn't have to come to this.

"So exactly what is my task?"

"Even though it may appear otherwise, she is a weak person. Everything close to her is precious – her friends, family, and," Lucius's eyes narrowed, "special interests. Take those away from her, and she will be broken with absolutely no hope within her. This is merely an experiment as to how far one can go until they reach the limit where their sanity is gone; they seemed to be dead, yet they are still alive; until they are trapped within themselves, their own world, and cannot get out no matter what."

When Lucius finished, Draco's full attention was on what his father had just informed him. This experimentation – he had never heard of before, and it seemed very dangerous to him.

"How am I exactly going to be doing that, Father?"

"You do not have to worry about that right now, dear boy. Just get acquainted and we'll talk later," Lucius ordered.

"Yes, Father."

"And remember one thing."

"Yes?"

"Do not disappoint me."

"I won't."

Draco headed inside the dim room; his nervousness was increasing with each and every step. How in Merlin's name can he pull this off? He felt so caught in the middle of his father's expectations, and his own wants and desires that it sickened him. This was his life; shouldn't he deserve his own path?

He walked towards the figure, who was sitting with her head between her legs in the corner, and took a deep breath. He recognized the familiar frizzy brown hair and Gryffindor robes, and wanted so much to hold her and get her out to safety. But he had to get through with this; after all, his father was watching him from the doorway.

He noticed how she was visibly trembling, possibly afraid that someone would take her life away from her. What could he say to her, if she was in such a state? He had nothing in mind, and instead cleared his throat, and waited to see if it had any effect. However, she didn't face him, and he knew that his father was getting impatient with every passing minute.

"W-what do y-you want?" she asked first, breaking the silence between them.

Draco tried to respond but nothing came out of his mouth. He didn't know what to say since he didn't know the answer to her question and remained quiet, which only increased the tension in the room. When she realized that he wouldn't reply, she looked up at her captor. Draco gasped inwardly as he observed how her once calm and pretty face, was now full of tears and dirt. It took all of his power and strength not to attack his father right there and then for what he had done to Hermione, but he had to get on with his job.

"W-who are y-you?" she timidly whispered, which could be barely heard.

It was a shock to Draco that she didn't recognize him, but then again Lucius may have used some sort of spell to cause her to be like this. It could, however, save Draco a lot of misery since he wouldn't have to explain to her why he was here.

"That's none of your business."

"Why am I here? Can you at least explain _why_?"

"You ask too many questions for your own good," Draco responded, trying to put an end to her questions.

"I want to go. _Please_ let me go, I beg of you!" she cried out, her hands reaching for his.

He wanted to hold those hands of hers more than anything in the world, but it wouldn't be possible since he was being watched.

"_Don't _touch me, you dirty Mudblood. I don't need your filth on me," he tried to say coldly, without breaking down.

She immediately retreated her hands and sobbed uncontrollably. He regretted what he said, but there was nothing he can do to comfort her.

"Stop that noisy racket," Draco demanded, hoping that she would stop crying, but she didn't. It only saddened him more to see her extremely upset, especially when he was the one who caused it. "I _said_ stop it!"

"No!" she defied.

He turned around and saw Lucius standing firmly in the doorway. He knew his father expected him to do something, but he just didn't have the heart to. He turned back to the individual before him, and weakly raised his hand.

_I'm so sorry, Hermione. I'm really sorry, I hope you can forgive me one day_, Draco kept repeatedly thinking in his head.

He closed his eyes and slowly, but forcefully, swung his hand and slapped her face. He heard her gasped and stopped crying almost instantly.

"If I tell you to do something, you do it. Understand?"

She nodded sadly to his words.

"Good. I'll leave you here with your self-pity until I know what to do with you. Remember, don't try doing anything funny because I'll know."

With his words still lingering in the air, he left her presence and headed towards the door, where his father was. He could tell Lucius was satisfied of his actions, but he on the other hand, was beating himself up for actually doing them.

He just had to save her from this mess. No matter what.

----

It has been at least a few weeks since Draco had found Hermione, and he was still wondering trying to perfect his plan on how to let her escape out of the house without his father ever knowing. During the last few days, he had memorized the route to Hermione's room, and also the spells that were required to open the series of doors.

However, the most complicated spell he had to remember was the one for the door with the golden snakes. He had learned, after pressuring his father several times, that it was actually a family spell that was passed down from generation to generation. When Draco's ancestors had first owned the Malfoy Manor, they had used that special room for concealing their most prized possessions. They had created a complex spell that only allowed members of the Malfoy family to enter the room, so that any intruders would not be able go in. It was very powerful as it blocked all sorts of spells that a trespasser would use, but it was also very secretive since only certain members of the family knew about it. It wasn't until the reign of Voldemort that the spell had made its way to the ears of the rest of the family, and instead of possessing treasures and riches, the room was then cleared to be used in a much more dark way. Death Eaters would meet there for plans on how to expand the Dark Lord's powers, and would sometimes hold prisoners captive in the very same place. It was a shame since the room was once so very golden and valuable, but now it has lost its worth and used for less than humane purposes.

Draco was pacing around in his room, trying to figure out an escape route. During his visits to Hermione, he had tried to calm her down and give her vague messages to tell her that everything will be alright and he'll be there to save her. But he doubted that she actually clued in to what he was saying because she seemed to be in hysterics every time he was near her or even when he tried to talk to her.

If he in fact, successfully retrieves her from her room, there was also the issue of having her escape unseen from Lucius. Draco knew that the only times his father would be oblivious to his surroundings would be when he had business to take care of, or when he had meetings with important people. Right now, Draco was certain that his father was in his office with his doors locked and closed to show that he didn't want to be disturbed. He had only seen his mother a few times around the house, but didn't bother to question her on her wanderings. She wasn't as powerful or as persuasive as his father, so he didn't need to worry about her finding out about his plans. Even if he was caught by Narcissa helping his father's prisoner escape, he would just make up some excuse, and she would believe him. After all, she always did.

He decided that right now would be the perfect moment to go according to his plans. He would go down to where Hermione was imprisoned, and get her before his father catches him. Since the Manor has a few abandoned rooms that still have working fireplaces, he would use one of those and transport both of them to another place by Floo Powder. If that was successful, he would think of another plan later.

He headed out of his own room, and down to the area where his father had first showed him. He muttered the first spell and went through a series of rooms that were designed to confuse any person who did not memorize the exact route towards their desired location. Thankfully, he had gone through this enough times that he would even be able to do it blind-folded. When he had finally reached the last door, he was extremely nervous and tensed as to what's to come. Thoughts of failure came to his mind, but he shook them away.

"I'm doing this for Hermione," Draco kept repeating to himself as he reached for his wand that was in his pockets.

He then muttered the Malfoy spell and touched the doorknob with his wand. He was filled with anxiety since he didn't know whether he said it right or not, even though he tried to commit it into his memory. After waiting impatiently for a few more seconds, he noticed two golden snakes slithering out of the knob in opposite ways and outlining the door until they collided with one another. This caused the door to burst the marvelous colours of gold and green, which could make anyone watch in awe. The door finally unlocked itself, and Draco slowly made his way into the room, frantically searching for any sign of Hermione.

Lying in the opposite corner was the one he was looking for. It seemed as if she was probably sleeping, but he couldn't be too sure since the room was a bit dark for him to see. He went over to Hermione, and whispered her name several times in an attempt to try and wake her up.

"Hermione, it's me, Draco. Wake up, please, I came to get you and take you far away from here where you'll be safe. Just wake up please, Hermione," he said softly, shaking her shoulder a bit to get her attention. After a few tries, he finally managed to wake her up from her sleep.

"Hmm?" she wearily asked.

"Finally, you're awake," he replied, as he took his wand back out. "I've been planning an escape for a while, and right now is the perfect time. _Lumos_."

Once his wand was fully illuminated, one could clearly see Draco's face changing from optimism and hope, to horror and despair, in a matter of seconds.

"Wait, you're not Hermione."


	13. The Price of Freedom

The Price of Freedom

"_I can see you clearly_

_Vividly emblazoned in my mind_

_And yet you're so far_

_Like a distant star_

_I'm wishing on tonight"_

Hermione awoke suddenly from her slumber. How long she slept, she had no clue, but her throbbing headache was still there. She thought sleeping would help make it go away, but the stone cold floor did contribute any comfort at all. She tried to get up but her legs were too weak to support her body, and instead collapsed back on the floor. She thought this whole thing was just some silly nightmare; that she would wake up in her own bed and find that nothing had really happened. But she was wrong for it was very much reality and she, unfortunately, was in the very middle of it.

Though she was feeling very weak and lightheaded, she decided to try and stand up again; she didn't want to cower in the corner of the room forever waiting and dreading what's to come. She wanted to do something about it, maybe get herself out of wherever she was. Slowly and carefully, she began walking in small steps along around the room, trying to find out whether there was any way of escape, like a door or a window. However, she would more likely find a door, since there was hardly any light in the room for there to be a window. She walked along the walls, feeling for anything out of the ordinary, and relying more heavily on her sense of touch rather than sight. She managed to walk a few metres from her spot, until she tripped over a rather large bump on the floor.

"Ouch!" she cried out as she hit the all too familiar cold floor.

_This is getting nowhere_, she thought as she massaged her extremely sore legs. _I wonder what it was that I tripped on._

Her hands reached out, and touched the object in front of her. She was surprised to find it rather soft, and continued touching it until she could get a feeling of what it can be. But she did, and it wasn't pretty. Her hands had came across the last thing she would ever expect touching under these circumstances – someone's face.

_Oh, Merlin!_ she thought in horror as she withdrew her hands. She didn't want to know whose face it belonged to and crawled quickly away from the body.

_I wonder if they're still alive_, she wondered to herself. If indeed the person was conscious, she may have a slight chance of escaping since she will not be alone. But if the person was dead, well, she'll have to find out, wouldn't she?

Curiousity got the better of her, and she found herself crawling back to where she had found the body. Although her vision was a bit poor, she was still able to make out the faint outline of the person, trying to catch any sign that might indicate that the person was undeniably alive. But nothing happened, which made her even more anxious.

"H-hello? C-can you hear me?" she whispered while slightly tapping the shoulder for any effect. However, she received no answer, and she was certain that it may be too late for her to save the unidentified person. She was more than terrified that she may have the same fate, but she was also determined to figure things out in order to survive.

She managed to get up on her feet once again, although they were threatening to fall any minute since she was still very weak. She continued trying to find some sort of door or another type of escape from this room as she was doing prior to discovering the dead body. After awhile, she came upon a hard, round object that was sticking onto the wall to which she was most certain that it was a doorknob. She tried turning it to open the door but nothing budged.

_Of course it wouldn't! How could I be so stupid? Nobody would confine someone, but leave the door unlocked for them to escape, now would they?_ she thought to herself. All this stress and fear was consuming her which must be the reason why she just could not think at all. While she was massaging her head to help make it feel better, she thought she heard a sort of noise at the opposite side of the room. This made her jumpy, as she was the only living and breathing person inside the room, or so she thought. The thought of the body that she had discovered before passed her mind, but it couldn't be alive, could it? It was dead, she was so sure, but then again, she had lost her ability to think ever since she woke up in this place.

There it was again. She was sure she heard a groan and decided to investigate more. If she was indeed wrong – and she hoped she was – about the person being dead then that would most certainly give her a bit of hope after all. She wouldn't have to be lonely anymore, and maybe she could find out more of what's going on.

As she approached the body, her tension was high. She didn't know what to do or what to say to let her presence be known, and she was shaking from head to toe from fear.

"Hello? Are you ok?" she asked timidly, after a while of figuring out what to say.

As soon she said those words, she could hear the person gasp slightly but didn't reply back.

"I'm not here to harm you," she comforted, "in fact, I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm a victim as well."

She hoped that her words would reassure the person that she was in the same place as they were, and that she would do anything to get them out of here.

"Are you alright?" she asked while kneeling down beside the body, and taking their hand in her own. But all that came out of their mouth was a small grunt.

_Perhaps they're too weak to say anything_, she thought sadly to herself. But this person was alive, and she wanted to do something before it was too late.

"If you can hear me, just squeeze my hand," she instructed. A small grasp on her hand was their answer.

"Good. Do you feel any sort of pain?"

She felt their hand squeeze in reply.

But of course they were. If they weren't lying in pain, they would be able to speak with her.

"I don't know how much pain you're in right now, but I'll try to find a way out of here as soon as possible so that you can receive some medical help. Do you understand?"

Again she felt it, except this time they squeezed her hand twice as if saying "_Yes, I do understand. Thank you for doing this for me, you may be saving my life._"

"My name's Hermione, but I'm afraid I don't know yours." She may never know, if they continued to be in this state.

"Her... Her... S-s-s... S-s-"a voice spoke up, although a bit coarsely.

This shocked Hermione very much, since she didn't expect the person to talk at all, but nevertheless, she kept a calm demeanor. "Hush, don't speak. It seems like your throat is very dehydrated and a bit damaged. Just let me do all the talking, okay?"

A squeeze.

She smiled in satisfaction and tried to stand up, but couldn't – the person was still holding on to her hand, afraid that if they let go, they may never feel that warmth and comfort ever again.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a minute," she reassured. She wanted to check out that door again; it was the only thing that was closing her off from the outside world, and she wanted more than anything to smash it open.

In fact, that was exactly what she did. She walked back to where the door was, and kicked it many times as hard as she could. However, she regretted that decision since the hardness of the door pained her already weakened legs.

"Oh, I shouldn't have done that," she mumbled bitterly as she rubbed her legs.

She heard a far-off grunt that indicated that the person knew the pain that she was currently in.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine; my feet just hurt a bit from kicking the door. It's nothing, really," she lied through clenched teeth.

Another grunt answered her.

"I'm coming back. Just give me a minute," she paused, "or two."

As she was limping her way back to the person, she could hear the door behind her slightly open and light pierced through the darkness of the room.

_This is it! This must be our chance to escape! _she thought as she turned around. _I can finally... oh, no._

"What do you think you're doing?" a stern voice asked her.

It was that woman again. Hermione could not see well, but she knew that the woman had long, flowing hair, and was about the same height as she was, maybe even a tad taller.

"Well? What do you think you're doing?" the voice asked her again, more impatiently this time.

"N-nothing."

"Don't lie to me, girl. I heard you make some sort of noise. Now I ask again, exactly _what_ do you _think_ you're doing?"

"It was... I was..."

A small groan in the corner of the room interrupted their conversation, and made them both turn towards whatever had caused it. Of course Hermione knew where it came from; the person wanted to distract the captor from Hermione onto them.

"What was that?" the woman sternly asked.

"N-nothing. I-it was me," Hermione lied, although, she was never good at lying.

"You are pathetic. Who are you trying to protect?" the woman coldly stated as she walked past Hermione, making sure to push her out of the way.

The person grunted louder as the woman approached closer and closer, until her presence was looming over them.

"So you're awake, now aren't you? Trying to distract me from _her_, are you? You are so naive, think I don't know anything? You actually think you can escape out of this place without me noticing?" she asked, with a harsh laughter.

"I hardly think that-"Hermione started to say before she got cut off.

"Who cares what _you_ think! You mean absolutely nothing to me! Hmm... it looks like some _order_ will be needed."

"I don't think you need to be so rash about this-"

"Who told you to speak!" the woman glared dangerously, although Hermione didn't see.

"It's just-"

"SHUT UP, GIRL! You do not speak to me like that! Do I need to teach you how to be obedient!"

Before Hermione could let another word come out of her mouth, she was hit squarely on the chest by a spell so powerful enough that she flew across the room, hitting her back against the cold, hard wall.

She screamed in agonizing pain from the contact, before she slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

----

"Y-You're not Hermione."

"Who's Hermione?"

Draco was dumbfounded. Who was this girl before him? She was certainly not the one he was expecting, but how could that be? Her features were most definitely different – this girl had straight raven-black hair, blue eyes and pale skin.

Could he have gone into the wrong room?

No, that wasn't possible. He had memorized the exact steps to this very room; after all, he had been here numerous times. There was just no way that he could've made a mistake in coming down here.

He was so sure. Now it's back to square one.

Unless his father had something to do with it. Maybe, he was getting suspicious and he switched Hermione to another room. Yes, that had to be it.

But the question now was, why would Lucius be suspicious?

Draco always had his emotions in check whenever his father was near. He would act very cold and distant towards "Hermione" so that Lucius wouldn't be suspicious. He was a very good actor, if he must say so himself. But there has to be a reason for this switch-up.

"Have you always been here?" he asked curiously, wishing afterwards that he hadn't asked such a stupid question.

"Yes."

"So you've never moved from this very spot at all?"

"No."

_Odd._ But then again, she may have been unconscious during the whole ordeal.

"A-are you h-here to s-save me?" the girl hesitated to say.

"What! What gave you that idea!" Draco was here to rescue Hermione, not her.

"You... you... you're here to help someone. I thought it was me," she timidly answered.

She was dearly mistaken. She _thought_, but she was wrong. When he came down here, he was expecting someone who was not her, but now he didn't know what to do. Did he have enough decency in his heart to save another who was in trouble, or should he just go for what he wanted and not look back?

Standing on the thin line between his morals and his corrupted ways was exasperating. It was either one or the other, not both. Which would he choose?

"You're right. I am here to help someone, but it isn't you," he clearly stated as he stood up from his spot.

She nodded sadly, and started to sob. Of course he wouldn't save her; she wasn't part of his plans. He was thinking of another. She would be stuck here for an indefinite period of time and never get to savour the sweet taste of freedom again. She would get used to it, but the thought of being alone with no more hope terrified her.

"However," he paused, "I know what you're experiencing right now, and I suppose I could help. I'm here anyways." If he couldn't reach Hermione, at least he would be able to save another, right?

"Oh, thank you!" she cried out. "I owe you my life."

"Yes, well, don't get carried away," he grumbled as he helped her to her feet.

The girl was very weak as she could barely walk, and Draco was surprised that all he could feel was skin and bones when he touched her arm. He hoped in his mind that Hermione would not be in the same state as this girl; that she was alright and could take care of herself until he would be able to find her.

They were almost a step closer to the door when the girl spoke up.

"I don't want to get you in trouble."

To hear her say those words were of a surprise to Draco. "Are you backing out of this?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"N-no, it's just that I've seen what that man can do. He's very powerful and manipulative, and I don't want you to suffer any dire consequences for me."

"I can handle it, after all, I am his son," he stated as he slowly opened the door.

The girl clung on to him for dear life as they both faced what was ahead of them, literally.

"Draco, my dear boy."

"Father."

* * *

**A/N: I guess you kinda expected that, but I got you guys on the last chapter, didn't I :). I want to make the story angsty, but I don't know if I'm doing it right lol. I'm kinda having a writer's block on this story, but I'm pretty sure it's almost finished... and I hope I can surprise you at the end :)**


	14. Hidden Secrets

Hidden Secrets

"_The day is gone  
__It's cold out  
__I walk alone as you fade out  
__I don't know why I'm reaching out  
__And now I know you won't come back"_

"What do you think you're doing?"

Draco gulped. What was he suppose to say exactly? This wasn't in any part of his plans. He figured that his mother might have caught him, not his _father_. He knew Narcissa would believe any of his excuses, but Lucius was not so forgiving.

"What are you doing with this girl?" his father repeated, in a more demanding tone.

"I... uh..."

"I trust you to do one thing, and you can't even do it!"

"I... um..."

"Your actions reflect this family! Do you not know how to express loyalty and appreciation to being a Malfoy!"

"Er... I..."

"Is this how you treat me after all the years I have supplied you with everything! You are a spoiled, ungrateful little brat of a child! What have you got to say for yourself!"

"I... erm..."

"You are useless. Give her to me."

Draco looked at the girl beside him, and back to his father. He didn't know what to do; he wanted to help out the poor girl, but he was afraid of what Lucius could do. Once again, he had to choose between his sins and his virtues, but he was stuck. They both came with advantages and consequences, and neither outweighed the other. He could see the girl's eyes pleading for him to help save her, but his father had seemed to possess the deadly glare Draco couldn't ignore.

"Give her to me NOW," Lucius demanded.

"N-no," Draco replied, but was barely heard.

Instead, Lucius grabbed the girl, who was trying hard to remain clung to Draco, and forced her back into the very room they were trying to escape from. He locked the door, and turned to Draco, with such danger in his eyes that could make anyone cower in fear.

"You follow me," he instructed.

Draco reluctantly obeyed his father, wondering what kind of trouble he would be in. He turned to look at the room once more, feeling extremely helpless that he failed to save the girl and unable to stand up to his father. He was foolish enough to think that he could get away with his plan; of course Lucius knew everything that was happening in his own house, how could he have overlooked that fact?

Draco was beginning to wonder where his father was leading him until they entered Lucius' office. Lucius was facing his fireplace, his back towards his son, silently contemplating on the current situation.

"Draco, where do you stand?"

Draco was surprised he was asked this question in such a calm manner, and hesitated as to what to say.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Just a few weeks ago, I was pondering on how well I've raised you. You have turned out how I had wanted you to, and I'd never thought I would say this, but I was proud. Now, I found you actually _helping_ some pitiful girl escape this place. What had gotten into you? I'm very disappointed in your actions, and right now, I could hardly think of you as my son anymore."

"B-but, Father-"

"Do _not_ call me that."

"B-but I think you've got this all wrong-"

"I do not think so. Tell me the truth, Draco, tell me what you had gotten yourself into lately."

Draco gulped. He didn't want to reveal everything that had happened in Hogwarts, especially about Hermione. He just couldn't.

Lucius waited impatiently for his answer, but when he wasn't given a reply, he decided to continue on with the interrogation. "You have underestimated me, haven't you? Think I don't know what was going on with you, do you? Tell me about that mudblood that I've heard so much about."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so? Then tell me why I've been told that you and _her_ have been getting _awfully_ close recently, hmm?"

"It's a lie. Whoever told you must have been blind."

"I do not think they would lie to me. However, I think _you_ would."

Draco didn't know what to say. His father was right, but he was only doing this to protect Hermione, so it was the appropriate thing to do, right? His father was winning this argument, but it was ironic how Lucius was punishing Draco for lying when he, himself, had lied on several occasions.

"Who was that girl, Father?" Draco asked with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"What are you possibly mumbling about" This was rather more of a statement than a question.

"That girl, who was she? For the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking she was one particular person. Now, I found out that she's someone I've never met in my life. Who was she?"

Lucius scoffed. "You actually think I would let you do something before testing you first?"

Judging by Draco's confused expression on his face, Lucius continued further onto his explanation. "Even though I was glad you had chosen my path, I still couldn't let you carry on without making sure of a couple things myself."

"And so you used this girl to prove what?"

"Imagine my reaction to the news that my _son_ had been seeing a mudblood," Lucius said, ignoring Draco's question. "I would never have thought that something like that would happen, especially from right under my nose. However, it surprised me greatly when you came to me and told me you wanted to follow in my footsteps. I had wondered which side you were really on, and so I had conducted an experiment using the girl to come to a conclusion about you. And by the looks of it, my question seemed to have been answered."

"H-how?"

"Two words: Polyjuice Potion."

Suddenly, Draco came to the realization of everything that had occurred over the past few weeks. He just couldn't believe that he hadn't figured it out earlier.

"So you're saying that-"

"That girl you were unsuccessfully trying to rescue was there all along. She just wasn't the one you were looking for."

"And you used the potion-"

"On her, yes. The whole thing was very amusing, actually."

"And all of this was just to prove-"

"If you had all the qualities necessary to work with me. However, you failed at proving that."

Draco couldn't take it anymore. His frustration, anger and sadness were building up inside of him, and what he wanted more than anything right now was a solution to this madness.

"I can't _believe_ you would do this to me. I'm your son."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Judging by your actions, I would think otherwise."

"I want to know where she is."

"She? I don't believe I know who you're talking about."

"You perfectly know well who I'm talking about. Where is she? She's in this house somewhere, isn't she?"

"That is of no concern of yours."

"She is, isn't she! What have you done to her!"

"I said," Lucius repeated, whipping out his wand, "that is no concern of yours."

"Of course it is!" Draco snapped. "I just can't believe I haven't figured this out sooner. You wouldn't trust me if your life depended on it."

"You don't know what you're saying. You're blaming everything on me, when clearly, YOU betrayed the very rules this family was standing for! I think that mudblood has poisoned your mind."

"She didn't. You have. You know nothing of what's best for me, but what's best for _you_. And I won't stand for it anymore."

Draco turned to leave, but stopped when Lucius spoke up.

"You do NOT speak to me like that."

"I can speak to you in any-"

He never got to finish his sentence, as at that unfortunate moment, he was hit by a powerful spell from behind.

"Dear boy," Lucius said, looking at Draco's limp body, "don't you know that Father knows best?"

----

_It was such a beautiful, spring day. The sky was never bluer, the birds were chirping their own pleasant songs, and a light breeze seemed to have completed the picturesque scene._

_It was perfect. In fact, it was too good to be true._

_But Hermione didn't care. She was too busy enjoying her surroundings, observing everything around her. The environment seemed to have intrigued her deeply, since she had never been in such a calm state before. _

_She was grinning widely and was practically skipping through the fields of green grass. This wasn't her; she had never skipped in this manner before. But how could she not? She was in a very ecstatic mood, and she took that to her advantage. She had never had a day where she felt this good, so why not enjoy herself?_

_Finding some flowers in her path, she decided to pluck them out from the ground and took in their sweet scent. She had begun to wonder how anyone could miss any of this out, but shrugged, and continued on. After a while of collecting more flowers, she had begun to feel a bit lonely. She wanted someone to share all of this with her, but there was no one in sight. Could she be in some sort of place that no one knew about? Could she even be trapped here? She shook her head. No, she couldn't be. Why would she be placed in such utopia?_

_She had slowed down her walking, certain that there were no more than trees, grass, and flowers ahead. However, just as she came to that conclusion, she was proven otherwise. Far ahead, perched against a large tree in the middle of the field, was a dark object. Curious, she decided to sprint ahead towards it, until she could see that the object was indeed a person. Their back was facing her, and their head was hung low between their legs, which was why they hadn't noticed her when she was right behind them. _

_Hermione stood still, wondering what to do. Should she leave them alone? Or should she confront them? Her presence must've finally been known to the person, since they immediately turned their head towards her and stood up._

_She couldn't believe it. It was a familiar face, but why on Earth would he be here?_

_He smiled at her, happy to know that she was there. She was still shocked and confused, but was equally content to finally see him again. _

"_Hermione."_

_That was all it took before she burst into tears, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. He didn't seem to have minded that her tears were soaking up a part of his shirt, and remained calm for her. When her crying had finally lessened down, he pulled apart, giving her a reassuring smile. _

"_It's alright, Hermione. We're all in a better place," he said as he gave her another quick hug._

_She was filled with confusion, and had many questions to ask, but he spoke again._

"_You'll be ok, Hermione. I promise that."_

_She wanted to hold onto him, but in a blink of an eye, Seamus was gone._

_She had wanted to ask him what he had meant by what he said, but it was too late. Now, she didn't want to be left alone. The breeze seemed to have gotten a bit colder and stronger, and she wrapped herself with her arms, her mind elsewhere besides the weather._

_She was still thinking about Seamus's appearance, when something else came into her view. She was sure it was another person, but they were standing very still, their back facing her. She came up behind them, knowing that they weren't aware that she was there, until she decided to tap softly on their shoulder. _

_They turned around, which made Hermione let out another small gasp. His face looked much different than before. His hair was tousled from the wind, he seemed to have bags under his eyes, and by the expression on his face, he didn't look well. She wondered what had caused him to be like this, and reached out her hand to touch his face, but he stepped away._

_He looked down, unable to meet her gaze, but noticed the bunch of flowers that Hermione held in her other hand. He looked back up, hoping to receive some sort of explanation, but was surprised when she shoved the flowers in front of him, with a smile on her face. She had wanted to say, "This was for you", but she knew that no words were needed to be exchanged for him to know what she was saying._

_He was hesitant, but slowly, he raised his hand to receive the flowers she wanted to hand to him. She was more than happy when he took it, and moved closer to give him a hug, when something stopped her. The flowers that were in his hand, were suddenly wilting and dying, and gradually turning into a rotten brown colour. She was surprised at this sight; it was as if the touch of his hand was poison to the flowers. _

_She looked up to meet his sad and confused gaze. She wanted to ask what that was about, but he interrupted her._

"_I'm sorry, Hermione."_

_With that short message, Draco was gone. Just like Seamus. _

_She was alone once again. By now, the sky was getting cloudy, the birds were no longer singing, and the wind was very strong and cold. She closed her eyes and collapsed down on the ground, unable to process everything that had just happened. She wanted to cry, but she had nobody's shoulder to cry on._

_When she opened her eyes, it was a totally different setting. She was no longer sitting on grass, but the cold, hard floor. She looked around, unfamiliar with the room she was in. She wanted to stand up, but was unable to move, as her whole body was filled with extreme pain. She decided it would be best if she sat for a while longer, but became bored and sleepy very quickly._

_A sudden opening of the door in the room startled her. She looked on as the figure approached her closer and closer, until she fully recognized who she was staring at._

_It was him again._

_How could he have gone and left her behind, without an explanation? They continued on staring at each other, in such heavy and awkward silence. She was confused as to what they were both doing here, while he was figuring out what to say to her. She reached out her hand to him, wanting him to help her get up, and pull her into his arms. _

_But he looked away, tears forming in his eyes._

"_I'm sorry, Hermione," he said in a weak voice. _

_However, she didn't want his apology. She wanted him; was that too much to ask for?_

"_I'm sorry," he said a bit louder, holding out his wand. "You must believe me when I say this is for your own good."_

_At this moment, she knew what he was going to do. She had no control, and instead, somehow remained calm. If this was the only way, then she would trust him on it._

_He looked at her one more time, before saying those words he dreaded the most._

"_Avada Kedavra."_

_A green jet of light emitted from his wand and onto Hermione's chest. She didn't scream out in pain, but only collapsed on the ground, gone forever. He fell down on the ground, and released all of the tears that were threatening to drop. He didn't want to do it, but he had to. It was for her._

_Draco crawled towards Hermione's lifeless body, and wrapped his arms around her. One day, he promised, they would finally be together for all of eternity._

_He was certain of that._

----

Groaning, Hermione finally managed to open her eyes only to find that she was still in the same place. She had vaguely remembered a body, and being hit against the wall by a woman. She was certain that the woman had probably taken the body away to another place, and she couldn't help but feel extremely lonely, having to deal with this alone. She didn't even get the chance to identify who the person was before they were taken away.

She had given up. She gave up the little hope she had left, and instead prepared herself for her fate. If there was nothing she could do, no form of escape, then she might as well have to deal with it.

A sound on the door, a few minutes later, disrupted her from her sobbing. She looked at the figure, who was standing by the door, but couldn't see who it was until they approached her. It wasn't the woman this time, it was a man and he looked very familiar. She just couldn't place who it was until they spoke.

"You're filthy."

She knew who that voice belonged to, but it couldn't be him, could it? It had been such a long time since she last saw him, but how would he know that she was here? But what would it matter anyway? She was just glad he was here to help her.

"You're here," she replied.

"You know who I am?"

"Draco," she softly whispered.

"You still remember."

"How could I forget?"

There was an awkward silence.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I don't have any strength to move – there's just too much pain throughout my body."

"Good."

She must've heard him wrong. He couldn't have said what she thought she heard, could he?

"G-good? How is being in pain good?"

"So that I know that you've been tortured enough, or not nearly."

What was he saying? Or more importantly, _why_ was he saying these things?

"Are you going to h-help me?"

"Help?" Draco spoke the word as if he had never heard it before.

"I want to get out of here. Isn't there any way we could escape?"

"Why would you want to escape?"

She looked at him quizzically. "I'm being tortured by someone who I don't know. I don't know where I am, and I don't want to stay here," she paused, "do you know who I am?"

He didn't answer her, and instead remained silent with a cold, hard look on his face.

"My name, please say my name," she said as she moved closer to him, reaching out for his hand.

"Don't. Touch. Me," he demanded before he briskly walked away.

"Will you come back?" she managed to squeak out.

"Don't count on it."


	15. Cursed

Cursed

"_I used to think that I was strong   
Until the day it all went wrong   
I think I need a miracle to make it through, Yeah   
I wish that I could bring you back"_

This was it.

This was where she was going to die.

Hermione couldn't shake that feeling off of her. She was in this torturous room for such a long period of time that all the hope that she had in the beginning was fading away, until she decided that she should just prepare for the worst – her death.

She sighed wearily, having cowered in the corner of the room since she didn't have much strength in her to move at all. A tear rolled down her cheeks as she remembered the encounter that she had with Draco. He was much different than before; it seemed as if he had returned back to his cold-hearted self for no apparent reason. It couldn't be that he was behind this, could he?

She shook her head. After all the things that they had gone through, this couldn't have been in his agenda. She knew of his feelings towards her, and vice versa, but there was that small, tiny doubt in her mind that he was going to betray her in some sort of way. It began nagging her even more when she remembered her last meeting with him, and the way he had acted towards her.

It was just _not_ right, but she couldn't figure it out.

She was so busy contemplating these thoughts that she hadn't heard the door softly open and a figure walking in; their shadow lurking over her. It wasn't until she felt someone before her that she finally looked up. She couldn't quite see who it was, but she had a feeling what they were there for.

"You're coming with me," a deep voice demanded.

Yes, this was going to be it. She'll have to face what her fate had decided for her.

She simply nodded her head, and slowly stood up, trying to use every last bit of her strength. The person, who was growing increasingly impatient, grabbed her wrists so hard that she was sure that she would see bruises in that area soon, and led her out of the room. She wondered where she was being taken, but she wouldn't dare ask.

All that was going through her head was "_I'm going to die."_

----

"There's just something _wrong_, and I know it! I can't just sit here and do absolutely _nothing_!"

"I understand."

Ron looked at Harry who was trying his best to plead to the Headmaster on trying to figure out what had happened to Hermione, and the other victims.

"Please, Professor, I have to do something! What if she's in terrible danger?"

"I don't want to risk anything, especially if I'm placing your life in such jeopardy," Dumbledore sternly spoke.

"But I've been in much more dangerous situations, I'm sure I can handle this one!" Harry assured.

"Do you even know where to start?"

"I... uh... may have an idea."

"I'm sorry, but I can not put your life at risk simply because you have a vague idea on a situation."

"But isn't there anything we _can_ do?" Ron intervened.

Professor Dumbledore remained silent, and took off his spectacles with a faraway look in his eyes. He was in deep consideration about something, and Harry and Ron didn't know whether to press on or keep quiet.

"Professor?"

When he didn't reply, Harry glanced at Ron for an answer, but seeing as he seemed very perplexed about the whole thing, Harry decided to ask again.

"Professor? Is something the matter?"

The Headmaster looked at Harry with something different in his eyes and a serious expression on his face. Could it be possible for someone to look years older in a matter of seconds?

"I'm afraid so," he placed his spectacles back on. "I understand your great concern for Ms. Granger as I feel the same as well. However, she may be-"

"Wait, Professor, do you know where she is?" Ron interrupted.

Their full attention was now on their Headmaster, who was trying to decide whether or not to tell them a bit of information that he had.

"I do not know her exact location, but I'm sure she's protected."

"How do you know that, Professor?"

Dumbledore considered his answer to that question before finally telling them something that he had known for quite a while.

----

"Where am I?"

Draco looked around the strange room that he was currently locked up in. The walls were made of cold, hard stone, and torches were lit up in certain places for lighting.

_Odd_, Draco thought, _how come I've never seen this room before?_

But then again, he wasn't at all that surprised, after all, there were many secrets to the Malfoy Manor that have yet to be discovered by its owners.

Feeling the need to have protection, he reached into one of his pockets for his wand, yet he had felt nothing. His pocket was empty.

_I know I left it here_, he panicked as he frantically searched through his whole outfit for his wand. _I know I had it!_

Yet, his wand was nowhere in sight. He searched the floor and all around him, but he saw nothing. How could it be? He vaguely remembered having it before he blacked out, when he was confronting his father.

_Father_.

That must be the reason why he couldn't find his wand. There was a great possibility that his father stole his wand so that he would not have to fear that Draco would do anything drastic.

_Smart move._

None of this was suppose to happen. He should have done something, such as stand up against his father in order to save that girl, and maybe the current circumstances would be different. Maybe he would have found Hermione, and they would be able to escape to their freedom.

But none of that had happened. And he was stuck here, alone.

He cursed everything to have reality turn out the way it did. He just wished that there was some way out, but there seemed to be none, since there was no sign of a door or even an entrance way into this dungeon. He walked slowly around the room, trying to figure out how his father had managed to imprison him here when all of a sudden, a stone on the wall that he was touching, began to move.

Startled, he moved back, expecting to see some horrible beast that his father had kept hidden for so long. It wasn't until most of the stones in that particular area had disappeared, and the figure had emerged from the shadows that he realized who it was.

_Close enough_, Draco thought as he compared the person to his original prediction.

However, Lucius wasn't alone. Behind him, was a girl whose appearance was entirely of rags and dirt. Her hair was filthy as if it hadn't been washed in a very long time, and parts of her clothing had been ripped, exposing the flesh of her skin.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he realized who the girl was. His heart began pounding fast against his chest, and he had a shocked expression on his face.

Lucius felt satisfied as he caused this reaction on Draco.

"I believe you two know each other."

"Hermione."

The girl addressed did not acknowledge her name, however. She seemed deeply saddened, and very vulnerable – the opposite image of how Hermione used to be. She knew that Draco was in the same room as her, but she was also trying to battle out her feelings and thoughts inside.

Was he here to help her? Or was he here under his father's demands?

She didn't know the answer to these questions, but she felt that she didn't want to know either. Whatever she was here for, she wanted to get done with it as soon as possible. She was prepared for anything that her future will bring, whether it be that she survives all this turmoil, or whether she dies in the end.

Hermione kept her eyes locked on the ground the whole time she was led to this dungeon. She couldn't even bring herself to look at Draco when he was just in front of her, although she wanted to very much.

"What are you going to do with her," Draco said, in a bitter voice.

"That is no business of yours."

"Of course it is! She does not deserve to be here."

"And you don't either?" Lucius sarcastically asked. "My boy, you are a traitor; a traitor of the Malfoy family for defying against my own plans. You, out of all people, deserve to be here in this dungeon. I do not hesitate to cast an Unforgivable on you, along with your filthy friend."

Draco stiffened. He didn't want Hermione hurt – or dead – just because of his mistakes that he had made.

"Leave her out of it. It's me who's in your way, not her."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "I see that she has rubbed off on you, hasn't she? Taken the infamous Gryffindor bravery, haven't you?"

Draco only glared back in response. He was filled with nothing but pure hatred for his father, wishing only the worst for the man.

"I'm afraid you've lost, Draco."

The blonde boy was taken aback by the sudden comment. "Wh-what?"

"You're too weak, mentally and physically. You have failed my test by committing the worse crime of all – falling for _her_" he pointed to Hermione behind him, "You have no place anywhere. Your existence is of no use to me or to anybody significant. Don't you see? You are a spoiled, despicable creature whose status is as low as all Mudbloods."

Draco was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that his father would throw such insults his way, especially when Lucius confessed that he no longer acknowledged his existence. These words had stung Draco; was his father allowed to speak to him like that? Obviously the answer was yes, after all, Lucius wasn't like any other loving, caring father. He was a cruel, manipulative, arrogant man who only wanted things to go his way.

"Me, a despicable creature? I could say the same for you, Father. You have done much more horrible deeds than I have," Draco replied, when he had regained his thoughts.

Hermione could only watch the exchange between father and son in a stunned manner. She had never seen anyone insult their family the way Draco and Lucius did to each other. The older Malfoy was calm as if he had been through this many times before, while Draco, who was trying to hide his deep sorrow, replied back in the same behaviour. She wished she could do something, but she could only worry about where the argument would lead to.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that!" Lucius bellowed, clearly outraged and ready to do something drastic.

"I do not care."

"I see you have learned nothing. You better watch your mouth as it can lead you to dangerous consequences."

The following actions seemed as if it had been put in slow motion. Hermione widened her eyes when she saw Lucius raised his wand at Draco, and tried to stop him before the curse hit Draco. However, it was too late since Lucius had already mouthed the words to an Unforgivable Curse, which within a few seconds had hit its main target.

Draco never saw it coming, so he didn't have time to avoid the spell aimed at him. He felt extreme pain, much more than the past times he had to endure his father's curses, and collapsed onto the ground as he heard Hermione scream out his name.

The sad thing was that he would never be able to see her ever again.

* * *

**A/N: I MUST apologize for not updating for so long! So, so, so very sorry! I hope this was okay.   
****   
However, I've been thinking and if there's anybody who's still reading this (after a long update), I'd just like to know if you want me to continue this story. I feel that there's a lot of cliches and holesthat needs to be fixed, and whether I should just remove this whole story. If so, I'll do it at once, and write more on my other fics that haven't been posted yet. If not, then I'll continue, but I think there's only a few chapters left. **

**Your comments count, so please review :)**


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